A New Life
by AmeliaJasmine
Summary: At a young age, a daughter of a successful businessmen in America was kidnapped, with the intent of getting money in exchange for the girl. The plan was to take the girl, get the money. But things get complicated when the kidnappers get attached to the small Isabella Cullen, and keep her. What happens when 16-years-old Bella finds out the truth in the most drastic way?
1. Chapter 1

**At the age of only a few months, a daughter of a successful businessmen in America was kidnapped, with the intent of getting money in exchange for the girl. The plan was simple enough. Take the girl, and then take the money. But things get complicated when the kidnappers get attached to the small Isabella Cullen, and instead of returning the daughter to her parents decide to keep her. What happens when an almost 16-year-old Bella finds out the truth in the most drastic way? How will she react to the sudden change; from the average income family in England, to one of the wealthiest families in America? **

**Disclaimer:** I don't own twilight, it belongs to Stephenie Meyer.

It was a normal Monday in school. The whole of Year 10 was filing out of the assembly hall, talking about the upcoming exams.

"Bella!" I heard someone call me, and I turned my head to see my friends standing by the back door, waiting for me to join. Once I spotted them, I waved and quickly made my way through the crown in their direction.

"How is it that you are _always _the last person out?" Came the question when I was just a few feet away from my friends. I narrowed my eyes at the speaker, one of my closest friends, Mackenzie. She snickered at my expression.

"Hmm, let me think. Maybe it's the fact that I actually wait my turn, rather than just pushing through the hall?" I suggested sarcastically, earning another snicker. Then I linked arms with Sophie, another one of my friends, and dragged her along with me as she reluctantly started to walk.

We moved through the corridor, everyone following, heading in the general direction of the dining hall. I walked in silence, listening to Mackenzie as she exclaimed at her progressions with her new boyfriend. I smiled; Mackenzie has been chasing after the guy for _ages. _If only he knew how big a part I was playing in their relationship. If he knew how carefully he was being watched...

"Bella!" I heard a deep voice from my side. A hand gripped mine, and I looked up to see Oliver, another one of my friends staring at me, his face all excited.

"Oh my God, Bella, you'll never guess what!" my hand received a generous squeeze as Oliver emphasised his words.

My eyes widened in response, as I guessed what Oliver meant.

"No!" I said, almost as excited as Oliver. With my quiet voice, I had to shout to be heard over the chatter in the dining hall. "He asked you? He _actually asked you?" _

Oliver made an offended face. Just jesting, I could tell. "Why the surprise? Of course he asked me! I mean, who could resist this?" With that, my hand was released and Oliver motioned to his face to indicate what he meant.

I had to admit, I understood the gesture. He was tanned, his dark hair styled to stand straight up, the mascara and eyeliner around his eyes gentle, yet accenting his face in a most stunning way. His teen face was not blemished by any spots, the skin looking soft and well moisturised. If it wasn't for the arrogance, Oliver would be absolutely perfect. _Of course _Carl couldn't resist him.

I spent the rest of the lunch hour listening to Oliver as he explains his conversation with Carl second by second. I was surprised and fascinated by the amount of detail Oliver put to the story. How could he remember it all word for word, I had absolutely no clue.

Carl and Oliver were to have a date, the following Friday. To my great surprise, I was invited to come along. "To make it a little less official." Oliver said. "Carl will bring a friend as well."

I was revealed that Oliver was so open with the relationship. Carl seemed like a nice guy, but he was almost three years older than Oliver, almost nineteen. I didn't completely trust him.

"Oh, Bella, I'm so glad that you're coming..." Oliver was saying, but he stopped when the bleeps sounded, signalling the end of the lunch hour. I was revealed. With the story out of the way, Oliver spent our walk to class exclaiming about how great I was. Only the second best person he knew—the first being him himself.

After that I quickly said good-bye to him, and moved to Mackenzie's side, heading for our fifth period English class.

The rest of the week flew by. With the days consisting mostly of exams, I hardly noticed what day it was. All my time was spent revising, or helping others revise. Before I knew it, the school week was over and I was free for the weekend. With no obligations, I was spending it away in Devon, with my cousins.

So I only had to come with Oliver for his date, and then I had the weekend to myself. I was looking forward to the brief time that I could spend away from all the studying and all the drama.

By seven o'clock on Friday evening, I was all packed and ready for the weekend. My younger sister, Arianna, helped me to pick out the clothes I would wear for the meeting with Oliver and Carl. She also helped me with hair and makeup, as was custom, and promised to make a hairdresser's appointment for my flimsy, damaged hair.

When she was finished, I thanked her and left for the restaurant.

The apartment we currently occupied was conveniently close to the town centre; everything was within the walking distance.

I made it just on time, and waited outside the restaurant for the rest of the crew to arrive. I wasn't sure whether a table was booked for the evening, so I was reluctant to go inside. As time passed and no one came, I began to wonder if I got the wrong restaurant. I took out my phone and checked the message that Oliver sent. He definitely mentioned this restaurant. I bit on my lip as I thought about what was taking them so long. Many strange and unrealistic ideas crossed my mind, and I discarded them all one by one. After all, it wasn't likely that Oliver got kidnapped, or abducted by little green men.

My fantasies made me smile. Just as I was putting my phone away, it started to buzz, and I put it to my ear quickly.

"Hello?" I said.

"_Bella? Bella, where are you?" _Oliver's panicked voice could be heard from the receiver.

"What do you mean?" I asked him confused, and uncomprehending. Here I was, waiting pointlessly outside some random restaurant, while Oliver was there somewhere, obviously one on one with Carl.

He gave me the address of the restaurant he was at, and told me that it was a sudden change of plan from Carl. That made me slightly angry. Who, did Carl think he was, changing his mind on a whim like that?

Once I disconnected my phone, I looked at the address again. I was unfamiliar with it, and I was just starting to wonder how to find it when someone approached me.

It was a guy, in his late teens or early twenties, thin and lanky. He looked a bit awkward, standing there and trying to get my attention. He played with his fingers when he spoke to me, only occasionally looking up at my face, and always quickly casting his eyes down again.

"Uh, Bella, right?" He asked. I was surprised. How did he know my name? I was fairly sure that I have never seen the guy before.

When he saw the obvious surprise and suspicion in my face, he continued. "Urgh, I'm... I'm Tom, Carl's friend. It seems we are both in the same situation. Carl and his boyfriend picked a different restaurant on short notice, right?"

I relaxed when Tom explained himself and laughed with relief. So it wasn't just any stranger after all.

"Yeah, Tom, nice to meet you." I replied, holding out my hand for him to shake. I was back in my element, the confident Bella that everyone knew-and loved.

Tom offered to drive us to the restaurant. I saw no reason to object, and he led me to his car on a nearby parking lot. As he drove, we talked.

"So, Carl and Oliver, huh?" He asked as a first attempt to make a small talk. I laughed at his shyness.

"So it seems." I replied. "I only hope, for Oliver's sake, that it lasts. He deserves someone like Carl."

Tom only nodded his head, eyes focused on the road. For a while it was silent, but in no way uncomfortable. I didn't say anything, just stared out the window. We were driving out of the town now, the moors surrounding it flashing by my window.

"Where exactly is this restaurant?" I wondered aloud. How did Oliver even get there? He didn't have driving licenses yet...

"Uh, it's in Gloucester. A real fancy place, one of Carl's favourites. It only seemed right for the first date..." It was my turn to nod my head. I was contended.

"So," Tom said, attempting bravado. "Tell me something about yourself."

*\"/*

I was engrossed o the conversation I was having with Tom. So much so, that I didn't notice where we were heading until we arrived at the Birmingham airport. I turned to stare at Tom, my eyes wide with fresh waves of suspicion and distress. After all, I knew nothing of Tom, only what he told me himself. He could have made all he said up for all I knew.

"Why are we here?" I asked, failing to comprehend the reason behind this trip. I looked away from the airport building and to Tom, but he was looking me straight in the eye now, no longer the timid boy he was pretending to be a mere few minutes ago.

He didn't answer my question. Instead, he threw a command at me.

"Now, please get out of the car, and don't cause any trouble. We had enough delays is it was." His voice was no longer shy and friendly, but cold, calm and very professional. It was clear that he wasn't expecting me to argue. When I didn't move immediately, he repeated, more harshly this time. "Get out of the car."

Fear was gripping me, but I did as he told me, leaving the car and waiting by the door. After all, outside the car I was in public view, and Tom couldn't do anything to me. At least not physically, I amended. I briefly considered flight, but I knew that Tom expected it; he could have easily caught me. My stomach was clenching as I run through all the things that Tom could do to me. Was his name really Tom, I wondered, or was that just the first thing that came into his mind?

"Where are you taking me?" I asked my voice even smaller than usual because of the fright. Still, Tom heard.

"America." He replied simply, walking over to my side of the car and getting hold of my arm. Not tightly, but enough to show me that he was strong.

"Why?" I persisted stupidly, unable to keep my mouth shut. To my surprise, this question he also answered.

"To your family, of course. It took us long enough to locate you. There should be no other delays." As he was speaking, he put on shades, and briefly looked around. It looked so much like a movie scene that I would have laughed, if it wasn't for the fact that my situation was so serious. Tome began to lead me in the direction of the terminals.

Was he crazy? Did he really expect me to believe that he was taking me to my _family? _The dude was seriously messed up. But, as scared as I was, I wanted to keep him talking.

"And just how are you planning to get me to America? I have no luggage, no passport and no guardian's permission to travel..." I trailed off, smiling as I presented my very sufficient argument to Mr Mad Tom. He would never get me across the metal detectors here, let alone over the sea to America.

But he seemed prepared for that too.

"In one of your father's planes, of course. We have your passport—your _real _passport, with your _real _name—right here. There will be no trouble getting you across the ocean."

I was even more confused now, and more scared that Tom had something wrong with his head. I briefly considered talking to someone on the busy airport, but I didn't want to risk it. Who knew what tricks that man had up his sleeve.

So I kept quiet as we walked through the airport, towards the passport controls.

I was letting myself relax a little then, knowing that whatever was said, they couldn't let me through without a sufficient passport.

But they did. Tom produced two passports and showed it to the worker behind the desk. He waved us through quickly then, without even looking up at me. What was that? Was it some kind of terrorist group, every move planned so carefully, somebody waiting at each step of our way?

It wasn't until we were through all the controls and outside on the tarmac that I really comprehended what was happening. I think it must have been shock, stopping me from thinking about it clearly before.

I was being kidnapped, taken away somewhere unknown. Because what reason did I have to believe that I was going to America? When Tome said that, he tagged the sentence with saying that I was 'meeting my family'. Clearly, that couldn't be true.

So when the dread settled, I decided to run. I chose a moment when Tom wasn't paying attention, getting a head start. I was a fast runner, and I got several meters away before Tom even realised that I was running. Then it turned out that he was faster. He caught up with me quickly, first grabbing my arm and then snaking an arm around my waist, lifting me up easily and carrying me over to the small airplane that was waiting. I was kicking and screaming, but there was nothing I could to.

_What will happen now? _I thought.

**So... enjoy, follow, review, please? **

**Thank you xx **


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I don't own twilight, it belongs to Stephenie Meyer.

Once we boarded the airplane and Tom handed me over to someone else, I stopped struggling. There was no point now; the doors were locked and the engine was being brought to life. Helpless tears started to stream down my cheeks. What now? Would I ever see my family again? Somehow, I didn't think that was likely.

When the small airplane started moving, a woman who was probably a stewardess walked into the cabin, telling me to do my seatbelts and asking if I wanted something to eat or drink. I didn't look at her, just shaking my head. I didn't want her to see my tears. But while I was facing the window, looking at my homeland getting smaller and smaller, the woman walked around my seat to face me. Seeing my tear-covered face, her expression softened and she came to seat next to me.

"Don't worry" she said, "It will be fine. Your father is a good man."

I turned to face her, sharply, my eyes still wet but now turning hostile. Why keep up that 'family' charade? I was safely aboard now, with no easy way to escape. Well, I could always jump... but I would probably be watched 24/7.

The stewardess looked a little intimidated by my expression, but her sympathetic smile was still in place. From her pocket she produced a tissue which she tried to pass onto me. I turned my face away once more, declining.

I heard her sigh, then stand up and walk away. But it wasn't until the back door closed that I stared to look around the room, looking for an escape. There was nothing.

Resigned, I turned back to the window. It was getting late, and dark, and my eyes were getting heavy. But I didn't want to sleep, in case something bad happened. Instead, I thought about my family and friends.

Arianna and Chloe, my little sisters. I always thought of them as being very annoying, but I loved them, really. And I knew that they loved me too. Chloe especially. The little girl adored me, always begging to play dolls with her. I never did, and now I wished that I would. It would be such a great way to spend time together. And Arianna. She was so quiet and collected, always complaining about my reckless, unorganised life. But she still helped me whenever I needed the help, never asking for reasons why. It was her way of showing love. I wondered briefly if they would spot those little things about me too, that showed them that I cared. Not likely. I wasn't the one to show any kind of deep emotions.

And mum and dad. Both busy with their lives, hardly having any time for me. Mum was always looking after the apartment and Chloe, always running never stopping. Even in the brief time she employed a nanny, she was still very busy. It was just her style. And dad. I hardly knew him, because she spent so much time at work. I didn't blame him; after all, he was making money to support me, and the rest of his family. He was the reason I had the good things that I did. I knew that running restaurants wasn't easy, especially now, in the summer, but I was always so cold to him. We knew each other so little, we had nothing to talk about...

Somewhere in the process of thinking I had to have fallen asleep, because the next thing I knew, a pillow was being placed under my head. I struggled to open my eyes, but once I didn't, I was immediately wide awake. I was still on the small, private airplane, and an attendant was in the cabin with me, fetching a glass of water from a tray. As I watched him, he placed the water next to me, and then left. I relaxed.

I was thirsty, but I didn't want to drink the water. God knows what they put in it, and I really didn't want to find out from experience. So I left it alone. It was light in the cabin, but dark outside. The insides were reflected in the small, curved windows.

After some minutes of taking in my surroundings, I saw Tom walk in through the door. Immediately my eyes were on him, carefully watching his every move. Seeing the look in my eyes, Tom put his hands into a surrender pose, backing away slightly and chuckling.

"Wow. You look just like your father when you make that face. You'll make a good businesswoman, you'll be glad to hear."

Seeing that my expression was unchanged, Tom sighed and instead walked to sit next to me. His movements were relaxed, totally at ease as he slumped in the chair right next to mine. I made no move, although I wanted to slide away from him. Badly.

"I guess it's a pretty drastic change, huh? Suddenly moving to US and all that..." I was confused now, really confused. Why does everyone keep going on about that? What's the point anymore, when they have me trapped here, so many feet up in the air? The lack of understanding must have shown in my eyes, because after studying my face for a second, Tom asked a question.

"All right, little girl. How much do you know about your family?" I wanted to say nothing, but I had no idea how Tom would react to that. So I came up with a very unresponsive response.

"All there is to know." I said, curtly, through my teeth. Tom laughed, a frustrated laugh as his hand raked through his hair. Satisfied, I allowed myself a little smile.

"This will be harder than I though." He mumbled quietly, before speaking louder to me. "Okay. How would you react if I told you that the people you lived with for the last fifteen years weren't your family?"

"I would laugh in your face, then tell you to get some therapy. How about you?" I was purposefully avoiding a serious conversation. I was worried that anything he said would mess with my head. Already I wasn't the same person I was just a few hours ago. Speaking of which... "What time is it?" that was a sane question, and one that only had one answer. Or so I thought.

"London or Washington time?" Tom smirked, lifting up his arm which had two watched on. I looked at him in disbelief, then rolled my eyes and turned back to the window, defeated.

"You know what, never mind." When it came to me, this phrase meant that the conversation was over.

Tom seemed to realise that, because he left. But not before saying "If you want to talk, you know where to find me." In actual fact, I didn't know, but I didn't say that. I stared straight in front of me, impassive.

A few hours must have passed before I was finally thirsty enough to take the glass of water by my side, and drink for it. Since it didn't taste strange, and I was still okay a few minutes later, I stood from my seat and walked to the door at the back, wanting to ask for some more. The door was open, and as entered the next room, I realised that the airplane was bigger than I have originally thought. What I walked into looked like a considerably sized office, with a dark wood desk some chairs and a sofa in the corner, small pictures hanging above it. Tom was seating on the sofa, a tablet in his hand, earphones in his ears. He appeared to be speaking to someone. But when I walked in, he quickly finished the conversation. I stood by the door, looking on awkwardly.

"Do you want to talk now?" Tom asked, surprised. I shook my head.

"No, but I'd like another glass of water." I lifted the empty glass for Tom to see. He nodded, then took the glass from me and walked through the door to his left. There was another door to the right, and I wondered where that led.

While Tom was away, I walked over to the sofa and looked at the pictures above it. On close inspection, they were actually framed photographs, photographs of a small family. Two adults, a blond man with a somewhat serious edge showing, even when he was smiling. That reminded me of my own dad, and I started to worry again. By his side was a woman with a pale face, caramel coloured hair and pretty brown eyes. She was laughing, showing off her white teeth, and there were smile lines on her cheeks. She looked totally at ease, and so happy. I envied her.

There were also two children, a girl and a boy, twins by the looks of things. Both had light blond hair and blue eyes, just like their father. Both were unnaturally beautiful, my age or maybe a little older. They were very close together in every picture, almost as though they took comfort from the closeness. In the background of every photo I could see seaside, so I gathered that the picture was taken during holidays.

But they all looked so happy with each other. Was this my kidnapper's family? If so, why would he tear me away from my family? I don't think he would like it very much if someone kidnapped his daughter.

The door to the cabin opened again, and Tom walked back in. Seeing me by the pictures, a worried look appeared on his face and he quickly walked over.

"Meet your family." He said, handing me the water and watching me carefully. I gasped, and looked back to the pictures. So this was supposed to be my family?

"I look nothing like any of them." I said accusingly, looking at the photos again.

"Oh, but you do, you just don't see it. See the colour of Esme's eyes? They're exactly the same shade for brown. And look at the hair; it's lighter, probably from the sun, but it's still the same as yours. Bella, meet your mother." I was so shocked, I couldn't even more. Damn, he was right, in a way. Why didn't I see that before? But Tom continued, now pointing to the man. There were definitely no similarities between me and him, I decided. But I was proved wrong. "See that jaw line? Yours is as sharp as Carlisle's. And that arch to your eyebrows. That way you look so worried all the time. It's here as well. That's your father."

He was right, be he was also such a moron about the eyebrow thing. Of course I looked worried! What person who just got kidnapped didn't?

Suddenly, I started to feel faint. All he had said so far was true. I didn't look like my mother, not at all. Nor did I look at my father, or my sisters. I never wondered about it, but suddenly I was forced to think. Was it just a coincidence that I looked so much like those strangers?

My brain was too overwhelmed to even consider it. As soon as I fell onto the sofa, I started to argue.

"It's a coincidence." I said, my voice weak.

"But how could it be? How would we find those people, so alike to you?"

"It's only Photoshop." I said eagerly, willing Tom to agree with me. But he just shook his head.

"I'm sorry, but these are original prints. No Photoshop on this."

And so I broke down. It was too much, and I couldn't take it. I covered my face with my hands, sobbing loudly. I felt Tom sit next to me, but when he touched my arm I moved away. He sighed, frustrated, then spoke in a soothing voice.

"Bella, this is real. Those are your parents. This is your family. You were taken when you were little, and your family was trying to find you ever since, and now they have. Your parents, your brother, your sister... they are all happy to have you back. Please, please believe me."

I didn't want to believe him. I wanted to hide somewhere, escape the alternative truth he was putting before me. But I couldn't and I already started thinking about the things me and my supposed 'mother' had in common. It was just too frightening to think about; all my life, a lie...

It made me cry even harder when the stewardess walked into the office, telling us to put on seat belts, prepared to landing. We were here... and I had absolutely no idea what to do, or what to believe. I must have slept for longer than I thought, because it seemed like only a few hours passed.

My head was still in my hands when the pressure in the cabin left, and the plane stopped moving. I heard the click from Tom's seatbelt, and then his quiet words.

"Welcome to America." He said.

**Ooh, what's going to happen next? **

**To be honest, I don't know any more than you do. I'll think of something. **

**Thank you to all the people who followed or review, I'm glad that you like this. But if you could, please review as well. No one has reviewed yet:(( Tell me what you're thinking!**

**I think that this story will be updated once a fortnight, starting from September. This way, I can update my other story regularly as well. But it'll only start in September; it's summer holidays starting today! I don't think can be bothered to write anything now. So, have a great summer, and make sure you stay safe! No matter which way you decide to take it;)) **

**Okay, if you liked the chapter, please follow and review **

**Thank you xx **


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Twilight, it belongs to Stephenie Meyer

A car was waiting outside the airport once we passed the passport controls and Tom headed toward it, flanking me on the left side while the other man from the jet, who I previously thought was an attendant, was standing to my right. They both assumed the poses of bodyguards, slipping on dark sunglasses and scanning the area with their sharp looks. I briefly contemplated escape, but the thought was quickly over-ruled by my common sense. I was in an unknown country, with nothing but a phone and a debit card, which not only hadn't been topped up in a while - meaning I had very little money - but also only contained British Pounds. Right now, as crazy as it sounded, my safest bet was to follow the men into the unknown.

Tom opened the back door of the car for me while he took the shotgun. His buddy didn't get into the car with us, instead taking out a phone and calling someone. As I watched, he nodded his head at Tom and then started to walk away. At the same time, the car started moving. Startled, I looked to the front and noticed for the first time that another man was with us, behind the wheel, and he now twisted the key in the ignition and reversed out of the parking spot. There was something wrong with the scene, I could tell, but it took me a minute to work out what it was. Just as we hit the motorway and sped up, I realised that the driver was, in fact, seated at the wrong side of the car; the steering when should be on the left, not on the right. That small detail, the fact that we were driving by the American rules, gave me that little nudge that I needed to recognize how very real and dangerous the situation was. The previous, slight feeling of edginess turned into a full scale panic attack, practically sending to the verge of feeling nauseous. I took deep breaths, attempting to calm my stomach.

_It's okay, it's okay, if they haven't harmed you yet, they probably never will. _I repeated to myself, but my stomach clearly wasn't buying it.

The insides of the car were dark, with black leather seats and dark tinted windows. It was practically silent, the quiet engine purring in the background, but the radio wasn't turned on and no one spoke. It was all making me feel claustrophobic. A few more minutes and then it was too much for me to take. Bile rose in my throat and I reached for the door, desperate for some air, or space, or _anything. _But the door was locked.

I struggled with it anyway, desperation that I have repressed before now breaking free, and I pulled and pushed at the metal frame with all my strength. I was aware that I was screaming, that Tom was shouting too, but I was beyond thinking rationally or making any sense of it.

"No, no, no! Stop the car! Stop the car and let me out!" I screamed repeatedly, until the driver stopped at the shoulder of the road and Tom jumped out, opening my door from the outside.

I came tumbling out, away from the car and towards the forest that surrounded us. I leaned heavily on a tree, catching my breath. My original motive for getting out of the car was to get some fresh air to breathe, but very soon adrenaline kicked in and I started to run. To hell with all this, I was being kidnapped, and I wasn't about to willingly hand myself over. There was a little ditch to my side, thin enough to jump over but also thick enough to slow down anyone who wasn't high on adrenaline. I run in that direction, and leaped over it, briefly glancing behind me to see Tom running too, and then my eyes were back on the ground, making sure there weren't any roots for me to trip over. My senses were sharper than normal, and I could hear with clarity as Tom decreased the distance between us with his long strides. Each step got him closer to me and some primal instinct inside me was so scared, so terrified of what would happen once he caught up. I tried to run faster, but I was getting tired and careless, and I tripped over something. Still, I crawled on all fours, still trying to get back on my feet, still trying to buy some time even though it was too late. My little slip-up gave Tom a chance to catch up with me, and soon he had me in his arms, walking back to the motor way.

I screamed and struggled, but it was no use. His grasp was too tight, and I was too tired to fight. In the end I just broke down, sobbing and still kicking as Tom walked down the path. Soon enough, we were back at the car.

The driver was standing by the car now, his look somewhat sympathetic as he held the back door open. Tom put me in the car and I immediately scooted to the seat in the other end, desperate to put distance between us. I was like a trapped, caged animal, still fighting, but already defeated. I whimpered as Tom sat in the back seat with me, closing the door behind him and effectively blocking my escape.

Tom did try to offer me some comfort, repeating phrases like 'it's okay' and 'it's gonna be fine' over and over again, but I wasn't listening. As the car started to move again, I tried the door handle, at this point willing to jump out of a moving vehicle just to get away. But this too was locked. I pressed my forehead against the cold glass, trying to stop the claustrophobia that was upon me again, but I didn't succeed. I looked out at the passing trees, but they were too dark, blocking my view of the sky and soon enough my breaths hitched and started to get more shallow. I pressed my palm against the window next to my head, a silent plea for some air, and the driver must have noticed because suddenly the window rolled down. I looked over at him, just a quick peek, then stuck my hand out the window trying the handle from outside.

Their response would have been comical were it not that the situation was so serious. Tom automatically reached over to me, ready to stop me should the door open, while the driver's eyes widened briefly before he reached to the button to close my window again, activating the window-wipers in his rush. I anticipated the moment the door would click and I would be free. But as I pulled and pulled on the handle, I realised that this door was completely locked. Tom relaxed his rigid pose and so did I, except he did it out of reassurance and I did it out of defeat.

The air rushing into the car was helping me clear my head though, and things that haven't crossed my mind suddenly surfaced. I panicked again.

"Oh my god, was Carl working with you too?" I was suddenly worried for the well being of Oliver. Did I bring my troubles over him too? Tom looked confused so I clarified. "Oliver's boyfriend. The one I was meant to see before you intercepted."

"Oh, him. No, he was just an easy target, a way to get to your friends and you. He should be fine. As should your friend, if that's what you're getting at." Tom shrugged.

"Oh, thank goodness" I said, relieved for a second before the tension started to build again.

"What about my family? How did you explain my absence to them?" _Oh, please don't say that they think I run away! They couldn't bear that. Mother would be so heartbroken when she realised!_

"That wasn't my part of the job, so I don't know. But knowing your father and his temper, the people you lived with were probably told the truth." Tom looked so indifferent, it was maddening. How could he take that so calmly? But I didn't express my feelings, because I didn't want the conversation to go that way. I didn't want to know what 'the truth' was. I already heard waaay too much.

So instead I looked out the window, trying to see if I could recognise any of my surroundings but at the same time trying to manage my anger. No matter if Tom was telling the truth about all of this or not, what they did was wrong. He and whoever he was working for have _broken down a family_, a family with issues, maybe, but a family all the same. Perhaps, after a while, my parents would understand, but what about my sisters? Poor little Arianna and Chloe, they were both too young to have to deal with any of this. Hell, I had trouble dealing with any of this, and they were so much younger. How do you explain to a toddler that her sister was kidnapped? The answer is simple; you shouldn't have to tell the toddler. Her older sister should never be kidnapped in the first place.

I had very little luck with recognising my location—not that I expected anything else. The one time I came to America was to the sunny state of Florida and this place was dark and rainy, probably somewhere in the north.

Silence fell upon us again, until a phone started ringing. I briefly turned away from the open window to watch as Tom patted his pockets, probably looking for the source of the sound. Once he found it, he looked briefly at the number before pressing it to his ear.

"Yes boss?" he asked, then listened. "Yes, we're on our way right now... no, no, somewhere quite near Seattle, I think, so not very far... um, I don't know the exact location, we're just driving through a forest at the moment... Yes, I'll call again when we're near." There was a longer silence in which Tom looked at me, speculating. "I'm not sure that's the best idea, boss... She... she's having a hard time settling with any of this." Now there was some shouting from the other side, and I could make out a few words.

"_Of course Isabella's... father to calm... the phone now!"_ after that Tom obliged quickly to the orders that streamed through the phone and handed me the phone. I took it hesitantly, not really knowing what to expect.

"Umm, hell-oo?" my voice rose questioningly towards the end.

There was a brief silence before a deep male voice asked "Isabella?" there was some emotions in that voice, but I didn't know what emotion it was.

"Bella." I corrected.

"Bella" the voice breathed. A pause again. I looked to Tom, questioningly, but he just blinked and nodded his head at me reassuringly. "How are you, Bella?" The voice asked at last. This was getting weird. I wanted to finish the conversation. I handed the phone to Tom, but he just shook his head, motioning for me to put it to my ear again. Instead, I clicked on the 'disconnect' icon.

"I don't want to talk to him." I offered as an explanation at Tom's slightly scared expression.

"Bella, that- that was your father! In all his years I don't think anybody ever hung up on him. Do you really want to ruin this relationship with him? Before it's even started?" Disbelief and fear, these were the two emotions on Tom's face. I shrugged my shoulders non-chalant.

"There will be no relationship. He kidnapped me – or made you kidnap me, whatever. _That _right there killed any relationship that we could've had." And then I was back to staring out the window, the conversation closed, on my part at least. But evidently, Tom had other ideas.

"Bella, you have approximately 45 minutes to air your views. Trust me when I say this, you don't want to get on your father's bad side."

"You don't want to get on my bad side either." I muttered.

"The only thing is, at the moment no one needs to be on your good side. Your father, on the other hand, is a completely different story."

I drew in a quick breath, feeling scared and discriminated. It was the first time since we departed from England that Tom really used his power over me. I mean, I knew already that I was almost entirely at his mercy, but it was different knowing it, and different being told by the kidnapper himself. I drew my knees to my chest and rested my head on top of that, a feeling of complete hopelessness settling over me.

Tom must have realised, because when he spoke again, his tone was a bit softer.

"Look, I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to say that. But it's hard, having to listen to your father's strong opinions, then listening to your, completely different but equally strong views. I don't know who to pledge my alliances to."

"So naturally, you choose whoever has more power." I said in a small voice.

"Look, just wait till we get you home, okay? Then you'll have time to think things through..."

"Yeah, whatever." And with that, the conversation was closed.

After a few more minutes of driving, we were obviously nearing a town. The driver slowed the car down, indicating clearly when we passed the town limits. The trees started thinning out, some houses appeared. A few more cars could be seen. I breathed out in relief, because this was obvious that we were nearing a small community where I could scream and be heard, where I could run and tell someone of my situation. My hopes for the escape route were shattered though, when the car turned onto a little dirt road, so overgrown with trees and bushes that, at first, I thought the car was going to crash. Fortunately, it didn't and we were on a small, winding road that led us deeper into the forest.

Several more minutes in the dark forest road, while I shuddered in fear, and the trees gave way to a perfectly symmetrical meadow. It was round, with high grass growing on the edges, along with yellow, pink and purple flowers. The trees growing around it were all leaning outwards, making way for a beautiful view of the sky, letting some light shine through and some wind to blow through the meadow.

A white mansion stood right in the middle of the meadow, with a stone path leading up to the grand steps atop of which the front door was situated. The door was also white and had a massive, old fashioned knocker right in the middle, with little rounded windows on either side of it. It was Georgian style, with the tell-a-tale slide-up windows and the shutters open to reveal the high, decorated ceilings and extravagantly expensive furniture. All the details of the house fit so well together, that it was either all a well preserved original structure or a perfect replacement. And the house looked so very peaceful, too, fitting perfectly with the surrounding forest.

I found the house beautiful, but it was mostly because my family owned almost the same replica of it in England. Coincidence much? I didn't think so. Around the main building stood a collection of smaller buildings and the driver turned the car towards the one that was obviously a garage. Several cars were already parked inside; some of them recognisable to me while others were makes that I haven't seen before. There was a red BMW convertible, a black Mercedes. The other two cars I didn't recognise.

I had to wait for the driver to walk around and first open Tom's door, then mine. I tapped my fingers impatiently as I waited; I was eager to get out of the little, confined space.

"Come one, Bella, let's get you to your parents." Tom said.

Suddenly leaving the car didn't seem so important anymore. Sure, I wanted to get out of the dark garage, but did I want to meet the man I spoke to on the phone? The man who called himself my father? I didn't think so. Whether he was some kind of psycho who'd want to lull me into a fake sense of safeness before stabbing me to death or just a delusional man with too much money, meeting him was something that I wanted to avoid.

"You know what, I think I'll just stay here. You go on, talk to him." With that, the driver chuckled while Tom just looked at me with sceptic expression. But his face soon twisted into frustration when I wouldn't move, even after he took hold of my arm and pulled me along. I knew that he could force me to go if he wanted to, but the fact that he didn't completely deprive me of free will was a little reassuring. I stood my place, glaring.

"C'mon Bella, we almost made it. Don't cause any complications now; we've had enough hitches as it is!" I was still rooted in place. "Look, one way or the other, you will meet your father today. Whether you decide to take the easy or the hard route—"

Tom never got to finish his threat though, because a good-looking, blond teenager came down to the garage. "Jenks!" he called, at which Tom turned around quickly to look at him.

"Ugh, yes, Mr Cullen?" _Oh, well, that was a side of Tom that I didn't see before. A nervous side. But wait, was it Tom or Jenks? _I thought randomly.

"I heard a commotion down here, and thought that I'd better see what's happening." I observed the man carefully as he spoke. I was very sure that I have seen him before... but I didn't know where. That honey coloured hair, the piercing blue eyes, the tall, slim frame; all familiar, but at the same time not recognisable.

Tom cleared his throat nervously. "We're just doing as your father instructed."

I stilled. The guy before me was the boy that I have seen in the pictures on the jet. The boy that Tom claimed was my brother. Was he really? I looked for similarities, and there was something... the determination in his eyes; it was something I knew so well. I saw that very same expression every time I looked in the mirror.

"And what exactly..." The man's eyes swept the room and landed on me. "Oh." He said in surprise. "Is this... is this Isabella?" And so we started at each other, blue eyes to brown, both assessing each other carefully.

Tom didn't reply, and neither did I.

"Isabella, is that you?" The man was getting a little agitated now. Again, just like me. When only silence replied him, he finally broke the eye contact. He came closer to me, speaking angrily as he went. "Damn it, someone answer me. Is this my sister Isabella. Are you?" He was close enough to grab me now, and for a moment I thought he would. But then his eyes calmed and softened, instantly making me relax.

"Yeah, that's me. And I prefer Bella. As to your other question, I'm probably not the most reliable person to answer it for you. As far as I'm concerned, I'm Bella Swan, and you're some deluded lunatic convinced that kidnapping me is a way to get back your sister. What can I say?"

Jasper cracked a little watery smile, and I heard a chuckle in the background. I would have looked over to see what was happening, but I was suddenly being enveloped in a rib-crushing-hug. "Oh, you're my sister all right. Just wait until you meet Rosalie. You two will get along just great." Another unidentified chuckle, but I was too busy trying to catch my breath to check it out.

"Um... brother," really, the ridiculousness of the situation. I didn't even know his name. "I survived the trip unharmed, this far. I really wouldn't want to have crashed ribs now." I was really running out of breath to breathe. Fortunately, he immediately let go.

"Sorry!" The sloppy grin that I didn't understand was still in place."It's just been...mother will be so happy to have you back, at last. We all will be. And my name is Jasper, by the way."

I nodded and assessed my situation. So far, it wasn't so bad. The man who was claiming to be my brother did seem a bit on the weird side, but unless he was secretly a psycho, he wasn't dangerous. Neither was Tom, as far as I could tell. He was standing behind Jasper now, a happy grin spreading from ear to ear. It was the other so-called-family-members that I was more worried about meeting. That Carlisle person, on the phone, for one. Who the hell was he?

"Mr Cullen," Tom interrupted Jasper's little moment. "I have strict orders to take Miss Cullen to your father. So if you'll excuse us." He tried to take hold of my arm, but Jasper was quick to stir me away.

"Oh, not to bother, Jenks, I'll take it for here. Come on, Bella, let me introduce you to the family." I followed, stunned but more relaxed than I was with Tom. Why, I had absolutely no idea.

Still, I as a more than a little opposed to walk out of the garage and into the house. Jasper must have noticed my reluctance, because he stopped suddenly and turned to face me.

"Bella, I can feel the tension rolling off of you in waves. What is it? What has you so worried?" I was disbelieving. He really had to ask?

"Well" I said, in my most 'duh, this is obvious' voice. "For starters, I was taken from _my home_, forced into an airplane and transported to America. Then I find out that really, I'm not being _kidnapped_, I'm being_ rescued_. All the while, weird men such as Tom and yourself are ecstatic with my presence, claiming to be doing everything for my safety, even thought you took me from everything I knew and into the unknown. Should I go on?" I threw my hands up in exasperation. Really, the nerve of him.

Even so, Jasper seemed to focus on all the unimportant details. "Tom, who's Tom?"

"The guy that you left at the garage."

"That..." I cocked my head to the side, interested in what word Jasper would use to describe him. But he seemed to catch himself in time. "His name is Jason Jenks, not Tom. Wherever did that idea even come from!" He collected himself then.

"Bella, I realise that this must be a difficult situation for you. I admit, father hardly talks about anything concerning his business, so I have very little idea about what is going on. However, I know that we were all heartbroken when you were taken from us and none of us ever gave up on looking for you. I don't know from what circumstances you came here but I know that your family loves you very much, and that you will eventually get used to the order of things. We'll all help you to settle down." Jasper's words didn't calm me as much as the expression in his eyes and his smile did. He seemed to have a gift like that.

I nodded, before letting Jasper put an arm around my shoulders and lead me to the white mansion. The silence between us was unnerving and Jasper seemed to sense that. He broke it inconspicuously, telling me about the origins of the house and how his mother—_our_ mother, as he said it—renovated the whole thing.

Once we were inside, Jasper led me through the entry hall, and into what looked like a home museum. The whole room was simply full of antique things. The shelves with books, the small coffee tables, the grandfather clock ticking in the corner. It all seemed antique, and all pointed to the late 16th century. It all fit perfectly with the house, of course. The only modern item in the room was a massive TV and a statuesque blonde sitting in front of it, on the floor, with a magazine in her hand. From the pictures I've studied, I predicted that this was supposed to be my sister, Rosalie.

"Rose," Jasper called for her attention, rubbing my shoulders when he realised how much tension there was. She looked over with a bored expression, briefly looking at Jasper, and then looking me up and down.

"Brought another tramp over, did you? I suppose this one is a bit better that the one I've seen last week... Isn't she a little young for you thought?" Then she looked back to her magazine.

Well, that was encouraging. Normally I would have said something, but this woman was highly intimidating. I found myself glancing at my feet.

"Rose!" Jasper scolded. "This is Bella, your sister! Don't make her even more scared!" at that, Rosalie looked up again, shocked.

"_This _is Isabella?" she asked as she stood up and walked towards me. She kept glancing at Jasper, questioningly. "No," disbelieving when Jasper nodded his head.

"Can't you see her? She hadn't changed a bit."

"Hmm, I guess. You're certain, right?"

Jasper shot her a look that said 'are you dumb or what?' At that, Rosalie's expression suddenly changed. She stepped even closer. I had a strong desire to step away, but Jasper was standing right behind me.

"Well, _sister" _Okay, this was no good. Her expression, her voice, it all screamed no good_!_ "Now you're finally here, I'll give you a piece of my mind. Fourteen years. That's how long you've been gone. That's how long father locked himself in his office and mother cried into her tissue. Fourteen years was how long this family has been broken. And now you decide to just turn up? This isn't how it works." She was getting impossibly closer, and Jasper stepped back a little to give me space. He tried to stop his sister, all to no avail. "You turn around now, and leave. We might have loved you before, but we don't anymore. You're not about to walk in here and break what scraps of this family are left!"

I was momentarily overwhelmed by the devastation in her eyes. This really was my family. Nothing short of losing a close family member could bring that expression to a young person's eyes.

And then, suddenly, I was no longer stunned, but angry. Rosalie obviously didn't want me here, just as much as I didn't want to be here. And back home, in England, my poor little sisters must have had exactly the same expression in their eyes as Rosalie did, except that it would be fresh, without the years it probably took to tame it. How _dare _they take me away from my home! They had _absolutely no right!_

"Listen, if you think I want to be here, then you'd better think again. Don't take your anger out at me. I was the one who was taken away from everything I knew just because some stupid millionaire decided to acquire another daughter. When I walked in here, I had absolutely every right to lash out. But I didn't. So if you even try to place the blame on me again, I promise that I will personally make sure that this pretty face of yours—"

"Children, children, what's going on here?!" All three of us froze, Rosalie and me staring each other down practically on the verge of breaking into a fight while Jasper was trying to squeeze in between to stop our confrontation. By the hallway door stood a woman, a woman with long, wavy caramel hair, gentle but sturdy eyes and her mouth turned down. Beside her was a man so very alike to Jasper, with the same blond hair, straight nose and mouth turned into a scowl. These were the people from the picture I have seen on the jet. These were my parents.

**A/N: Cliff hanger! Sorry;)) **

**Huh, I was quite excited to finally be posting this chapter. I've only been writing them over the summer, so it feels good to finally let it go. Actually, I'm having a hard time not posting all 5 of the prewritten chapters. But I already decided that I'll be updating once every two weeks, so, patience! My dear friend, Katherine(Katcat718) was a great help in writing this. Go, see if you like her stories too! **

**It's my 16****th**** birthday soon! On the 13****th**** of September, on a Friday. Lucky me, huh? Especially since my mum already declared that she doesn't want to buy me anything expensive, which is unfair, cuz my younger sisters always get expensive gifts. But my b-day is right after summer vacation, and only just before Christmas, so it's easier for my parents to make the excuse that they need to save money. Yeah, right, like they actually do that! We'll have to negotiate those matters, closer to the date... But I know that in the end, I'll get that camera that I really want. The question is, at what cost. **

**There have been a few requests in the reviews. For one, sparklyvampire asked for a little more fight in Bella. I tried, hence the little running away stunt, but I think it really isn't in Bella's character, and besides, the situations never seem to present themselves... I was going more for the family-bonding sort of thing. power214063 asked for a flashback of Bella's kidnapping. It won't help the story move along much, but I'll fit in a chapter about it anyways. Dragz1991 asked me if Edward, Alice and Emmet will be in this story as well. The answer is, yes, I probably should have mentioned something in the summary... this is a Bella and Edward story, so Edward will play a big part, and as for Emmett and Alice. . . Well, I'll find a place for them, too. Thanks for bringing that to my attention! **

**Follow, favorite, review, and take care until next Monday,**

**Ami-J**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Twilight, it belongs to Stephenie Meyer

"Oh, Bella, you must be so confused!" I couldn't agree more. I was sitting in a home office while Carlisle sat behind the desk in front of me, looking very much like my school principal whenever I was in trouble. His wife, Esme, was hanging on my shoulder sobbing uncontrollably.

I rubbed her arm a little, unbelievably trying to comfort my kidnapper. They had yet to explain anything to me.

"So, Bella." Carlisle said. "How much do you know already?" I wanted to tell him exactly what I knew about my kidnapping, but the crying woman stopped me. She obviously didn't need any more reasons to cry. Carlisle must have taken a hint, because he looked troubled for a second before lunged into his explanation.

"You see, we" he pointed a finger between Esme and himself, "Are your real parents. Your genetic code, your name, all that, it's from us. With me so far?"

Not at all, but I could hardly say that. I wasn't slow, I could see what he meant. To accent his words nicely, I could also feel how hard Esme was gripping me and how much hurt there was in Rosalie's eyes before. Did I believe that the family lost a daughter? Yes. Did I thing that lost daughter was me? Hell no.

I nodded, my head.

"Okay, well, till you were about one, the whole family lived in Seattle—"

"Is that where we are now?" I asked eagerly, fishing for some information in case this whole thing went wrong. Then, at least, I could tell the police my location.

"Now, right now, we're in Forks, near Seattle, avoiding the media press. If you don't mind, we'd rather keep your arrival a secret a little longer.

"Now, _as I was saying,_" He looked at me sternly, some much like a disciplinary father that I started to squirm in my chair. "We all lived in Seattle, you included. A nanny was employed for you, while your mother and I worked. Renée Higginbotham, perhaps you know her." Again with the questioning gaze.

"My mother." I answered coolly, refusing to believe whatever story he was going to make up for me. But at my reply, Esme was wrenched with a little more violent sob, making me feel bad. Again.

"So to speak." Carlisle's answer was curt; obviously not satisfied at the way I labelled the woman who raised me.

"So what then? Did she kidnap me to save me from my real family? Some family it must have been."

"Bella, you will not speak to me, or your mother that way. Ever." I wanted to interrupt again, but Carlisle could speak louder. Not that it was surprising. Everyone spoke louder than me. and goodness, the authority on his voice. I could see what Tom meant before, when he mentioned it. "Yes, Miss Higginbotham did, in fact, kidnap you, along with our gardener, Charlie Swan. It was well planned out, they both had trusted places in our house.

"At first, they demanded a ransom for you. Not before we managed to get the police and FBI involved, but after they showed us no new leads, we decided to take the risk and pay them. We followed their instructions exactly, but we still didn't get you back. By the time we risked to call the FBI again, it turned out that they left the continent, to Morocco. US and Morocco don't have an extradition treaty signed; meaning that whatever happens there, we cannot interfere with, at least not legally. That isn't to say that we didn't try; several times over the years we tried to find your exact location, but Charlie and Renée Swan—as she married the man over the years—were too good at covering their tracks.

"That is, until they decided it wasn't so important anymore. They sent you to school in England; with their schooling system, we were able to obtain the first few leads to help finding you. Your fingertip for the school account was much help, as was your medical record. But it was still hard to locate you... with so much movement from you, any reopened investigations were quickly closed due to invalid information. The Swans were still too good. That is, until their second daughter was born, Chloe Swan. After we dug up her birth certificate, it was much easier. Charlie and Renée seemed to have settled down, still moving but not as much. Of course, opening their own business didn't' hinder us any, either.

"It still took some time to make sure that we got the right person. For months, all your info has been checked, you yourself have been observed..." At that point, my face must have really been something to see. I was desperately trying to deny all of what Carlisle was saying, but neither he nor Esme were making it easy for me. But something in my eyes also made Carlisle want to explain it further. "Bella, you have to understand that we did what was necessary. If there was any easier and less painful route to get to you, we would have undoubtly taken that chance. As it was, we were desperate."

So...so much confusion! It was giving me a head ache. I put my hands to my temples.

Immediately, Esme jumped from her seat with a quiet "Oh!" I looked at her warily.

"Darling, you must be famished! Come on Carlisle, this is surely too much for her to take. Let us explain it bit by bit, later. For now, come on honey, I'll get you something to eat or drink, maybe something for that headache of yours, too." She took my hand and started to lead me away. At that moment, I was immensely grateful to the woman; not because she offered some food to my rumbling stomach, but because she led me away from too much thinking, without as much as a little confrontation. It saved me some time and some much needed brain cells.

She led me through the maze that was the house, finally ending up in a kitchen. Whether she did that by chance or on purpose, I wasn't sure. "So, what would you like to eat? Pancakes, french toast? It is quite late in the day for fat foods, but you must be hungry. So, what do you feel like eating?"

As I considered my options, I realised that I still had the jetlag. It would be the early hours of the morning in England, and not a time when I ate. However, I was hungry.

"Uum, just some fruit would be nice, thank you. Apples, oranges? Whatever you have." Esme smiled sweetly as she cut me a grapefruit, mandarins and apples.

"You're just like Rose that way, no food but fruits in the evening." She said without looking up from her work. My stomach churned at the thought of my sister.

"That might be the only thing that we have in common." I stated a bit sadly. After all, sisters should get along with each other.

Esme put her hand over mine, then waited for me to look up.

"Darling, very few people get onto Rose's good side straight away. You are her sister; she cannot hate you, and she doesn't, really. What you saw earlier... that was years of repressed emotions of sadness and heartbreak. She suffered all those over your loss, and she will come around now that you're back. I have a good feeling about this. And if nothing else works, we can always just talk to her. Explain a little more." She patted my hand again, gently, smiled one more then set the plate of fruits and a glass of orange juice in front of me. "Eat." She commanded in the most motherly voice. I obeyed.

After I finished eating Esme led me to a bedroom that she said was mine. Unlike I had expected, it didn't look like a guest bedroom, but was rather strongly customised. The walls were dark bluish colour, maybe leaning towards dark turquoise. There were a few painting hanging, none of them too descriptive but taking away that feel of emptiness that unused rooms often had. The furniture—consisting of a queen sized bed, extensive work desk, a bookshelf and a massive wardrobe stretching almost halfway through the big room—was all made from rich coloured walnut wood, but a few light turquoise details, such as the curtains, pillows and bedcovers, stopped the room for being too dark. All in all, it was perfectly balanced.

I fell in love. After years of my mother's eccentric, colourful designs, this was such a nice change. It was decorated in a way that _I _would decorate it, were I given the choice. When I expressed my feeling to Esme, she gave me a watery smile, telling me that she was the one who designed it. She also told me that it was years since Jasper or Rosalie let her meddle in their rooms, and that I was a darling for being so appreciative. That got to me. If I was under any other circumstances, I would have probably hugged Esme, kissed her cheek and ooh'ed at the vulnerability of her words. As it was, I smiled a little and kept my distance.

Esme showed me to the attached bathroom, telling me where to keep the towels and the shower gels, all the while respecting my personal space. Afterwards, she left me, telling me to come down tomorrow morning, for breakfast.

That night, after I was ready for sleep, I just sat in bed for ages, thinking. Thinking of the unaccounted past, the confusing present and the yet unknown future. It was with all those heavy questions that I fell asleep.

That was the first night in many years that I had the old nightmare. The one that had me sweating buckets and screaming bloody-murder before I could wake up.

This time was no different. When I woke up in the middle of the night, disoriented, both, Carlisle and Esme were leaning over me with worried expressions. Once Esme saw my eyes open, she put her hand to my cheek calmingly.

"Bella it's okay, it was a dream, it was just a dream. You're here now, you're awake." I nodded my head weakly, glad when Esme reached out to the bedside table, then handed me a glass of water. I drank deeply before answering her.

"Yeah" Gosh, my voice was so hoarse. "Yeah, just a dream. Don't worry, I'm fine now. You can get back to sleep."

"Bella, are you sure..."

"Yes, Esme, I'll be fine. Goodnight."

The woman kissed my forehead gently, which I endured without a word, then took Carlisle's hand and left. I turned over in my bed, thinking hard.

In the dream, everything was always blurry. It was set on a sunny beach with the waves crashing gently into the shore. It always started off so nicely, so reassuringly. I was running, with a person I always thought was Renée chasing me, laughing. It was all familiarity and happiness, family moments made together.

Then, suddenly, the picture changed drastically. Someone was shouting my name in the distance, persistently calling "Isabella! Bella!" Over and over again. The sea was no longer gentle but harsh, with angry waves weathering the poor seaside rocks. Renée looked around panicked, grabbed my hand tightly and started running with me, so fast that my small feet barely touched the ground. The voice calling for me was getting quieter, although I was longed to see the person whose voice it was. I always sobbed "Mummy, mummy!" several times before I woke up.

Over the years, I settled for a stable interpretation of the dream, with some help from my therapist. The woman with me was definitely Renée, my mother. The beach represented my happy life with my family, while some repressed fear signified itself in the following fear and darkness. For years I worked to find that repressed fearful memory but always came up empty. Of course, now I knew that it was only to be expected, without me having the full story. I wondered which one I was worried about in the nightmare; Renée taking me away from the Cullens, or the Cullens taking me back. If my therapist was here now, we could discuss this together. But I had to settle for working it out myself.

By that point, sleep was a lost cause. I stayed in bed for a while longer, then climbed out and took a walk around the room. The clock over the door informed me that it was only 5:30 am. I looked into the wardrobe finding it empty, save for the few nightdresses, tops, trousers and underwear that Esme provided me with last night. I took some items of clothing and went into the bathroom to wash and dress.

After I was ready to face the day, I went downstairs. The house was quiet, everyone obviously sleeping. But both, Carlisle and Jasper told me to feel right at home here while Esme told me to come down when I woke up in the morning.

After a few minutes I finally found the kitchen and boiled some water for coffee. There was a coffee maker on one of the counters, but I didn't know how to use that model, so I just found a mug and made expresso in that. Then I located the milk in the fridge, as well as some eggs and bacon to fry. I was starving.

A few minutes later, my breakfast was ready to eat. I made a little more than I thought, only putting around one third of it on the plate. Just as I was taking out orange juice from the fridge, I heard a knock on the door. I froze. Should I be opening that? Probably not. I decided to stay quiet and wait for whoever it was, calling in at such an ungodly hour, to leave. However, the knocking just got more persistent, and I rethought what to do. Maybe I should open the door give whoever it was a piece of my mind? That was undoubtly what I would do back in England. But I've learned my valuable lesson.

Then I heard someone coming downstairs to my rescue. As they descended, I listened to their walking pattern, committing it to my memory. Call me weird, but I knew from experience that it was good to know who was approaching beforehand. Voices accompanied the opening of the door, one of them being Jaspers. Okay, that was his walking pattern then.

"Hey, man, you're early. Come on in, I need to grab something to eat first." Steps were heard coming into the kitchen. I contemplated running away, but the only other door in the kitchen was the one leading outside. That course of action seemed a little too drastic and besides, this was supposed to be my house as well. So instead, I sat at the kitchen island and grabbed the newspaper that was lying next to me, attempting to look oblivious. However, as I looked at the front page, I chocked on my orange juice. Directly in the middle of the page was a blown up picture of my face with the capitals 'America's Most Looked for Girl Coming Home?' Oh gosh, choking on orange juice really scraped your throat.

Jasper run into the kitchen when I started to choke and cough, his alert expression quickly becoming one of amusement when he saw that it was me. He started to pat my back.

"Ah, Bella, I see you're a morning bird. How are you this fine day?" I was unable to talk and besides, he didn't really want an answer. He was laughing a little as his hand moved up and down my back.

"Go away, Jasper." He just laughed harder.

In the kitchen with us stood another teenager, looking to be around Japer's age. He was dressed in a striped baseball t-shirt and tracksuits, a baseball bat in his hand. He was absolutely massive, with proper, think muscles lining his arms. His head seemed a little too small to balance out his body, but it suited him. He looked to have the royal-joker-like personality. He had short, dark hair and light green eyes with an expression innocent like an angel. Even so, he looked a little scary.

He was watching me and Jasper with a slightly disgusted expression. I was worried that it was because I was choking, that he would tease me, or worse, try to bully me because of it. Since I was at a disadvantage here because I didn't know anyone or anything, I'd rather he didn't look at me like that. Japer noticed the revulsion at around the same time as I did, quickly jumping in to explain.

"Man, this is my sister, Bella. Don't look at us like that." Suddenly, the boy's expression took on another meaning and I blushed. God, if that wasn't the second time someone jumped to the conclusion that Jasper and I were together. Was Jasper really that much of a man whore?

The boy laughed then. "Phew, spared me some worrying. Hi" he extended his hand to me His grip wasn't strong, but I could feel the muscles. "I'm Emmett. Nice to see that the media is right, for once." He pointed to the newspaper with his bat, purposefully swinging it in front of my face and laughing good-heartedly—I hoped—when I cringed. Jasper ignored Emmett's practical joke and snatched the newspaper.

"They're fast. When did they even get this? We only got you back yesterday..."

I shrugged my shoulders. "Why would they be so interested anyways? I mean, I bet lots of kids go missing. Why me?" Both Jasper and Emmett looked at me weirdly.

"You really don't know much the Cullens, do you?" It was Emmett who asked. I shook my head. "Well, then you wouldn't know about the money. Or about the time they spent looking for you."

"What? What do you mean?" Intrigued now, I leaned towards Emmett to listen. Not that the money part bothered or exited me. From the experience I had, money meant a lot of lost time, work, responsibility and problems. No, it was the searching part that I was interested in. If everything else failed, that could be proof that it was or wasn't me that the Cullens were looking for. But before Emmett could launch into his story, Jasper interrupted.

"Em, don't give her that now. Dad said to let her come to terms with it first. When she's ready, we'll explain." Well, I was starting to think that Jasper was a bit too laidback, considering that he just claimed to find his long lost sister. I guess that were his instructions. But it was, after all, info about me. Shouldn't I be entitled to know?

When I voiced my concerns to Jasper, he just shook his head. "Are you really ready to hear it all? There's an awful lot of it." That tamed my interest a little.

Silence fell as Jasper took a swing from the orange juice cartoon and Emmett watched me, skilfully swinging the bat in his hand.

"Um, breakfast anyone?" I said at last, standing up and walking towards the pan. Emmett's stare and the bat in his hand worried me a little.

"Sure" Jasper said at the same time as Emmett did. I took out another two plates and put all the leftover food on it for the boys. Jasper dug in right away. The way he was eating was totally gross. Never having had brothers, I haven't seen the way teenagers eat breakfast before.

"Dude, you're grossing your Bella out. Maybe you should slow down a bit." Both Jasper and I looked at Emmett, surprised. His food hadn't been touched yet, instead he was watching me face, then Jaspers. He didn't look like the type to notice, or care, but what do you know? Jasper, on the other hand, just looked at Emmett funnily, his mouth still full, looking comical.

Emmett laughed. "Okay, now I see the resemblance between you two." In my true Bella fashion, I swatted his arm.

"Oy!" I said trying not to snort as Emmett took on the funniest hurt expression ever. Honestly, he was like an overgrown toddler. To his credit, Jasper did slow down the eating process.

Some more jokes followed, and I realised that I shouldn't have worried about how Emmett would receive me. He had a very easy going nature, not based on understanding people like Jasper, but rather total obliviousness that made you forget about all your problems.

"Hey, Bells, you coming with us to the baseball practice? You can meet little Eddie. He's roundabout your age. Maybe you can be his first ever friend." Emmett asked after he and Jasper finished eating and Jasper changed into his sports clothes.

"No, thanks." I replied at the same time as Jasper said "No way." Even though my answer was the same as his, I was still a little offended.

"Hey, not like that," He said quickly. "You saw how fast they can snap shots." He pointed to the newspaper with his chin. "You should really avid going out for a few days. Wait for things to calm down a little, then you can go out. I expect that's why we came here, to Forks, in the first place. I mean, father had it all planned out, right?"

"You don't live in Forks?" that was news. I thought it was a permanent residence.

"Naw, this is just a summer house. We live in Seattle."

"Who would want a summer house here?" I asked, a little sceptic. I've only been here two days and both days it rained. Some summer that would be.

"My thought's exactly, Bells. Jazz, I love your sister already." He laughed, then extended his hand to give me a fist bump. But before I could score one, he withdrew his hand and mussed up my hair instead. It was too quick for me to avoid it, so I was smoothing it down as the boys got up and left the kitchen.

"I'll see you at dinner, Bella." Jasper said, while Emmett shouted "See you later, Bells!" so loud that he could probably wake the dead. I laughed and shook my head as they exited. Honestly, with all their differences, I was surprised that the two of them could be friends. But the world was full of surprises, as I found out the hard way.

Esme was the next one to come downstairs, almost half an hour later. She run down quickly, calling out my name before she even descended the stairs. Once she saw me on the kitchen she calmed down considerably and explained that she was worried that I run away, a little embarrassedly. I turned that over in m head. Now that Esme said it, it seemed like a very real possibility and yet, it didn't even cross my mind before. Maybe it wasn't so bad here as I considered it to be.

She made pancakes for me Carlisle and herself, explaining that she did it every Saturday. It was the day that Carlisle took off work.

"It was supposed to be a family day," She said with a sort of faraway look as she flipped a pancake in the pan. "But in never really felt like... without you, honey, this family was never complete. For the slim chances that we had of finding you, we spent too much time trying. It broke this family completely." Her eyes focused on me, a sad expression in her eyes. She didn't cry, but I still felt compassion for her. As it was, though, I made no move to comfort her.

"Rosalie and Jasper hated this day. They felt that we didn't devote ourselves enough for them, because of you. So as soon as they could, they got out of spending time with us. Jasper signed up for first football, then baseball, Rose spent the weekends with her friends...because they knew...that we were only pretending to enjoy our time together. Oh, Bella, I'm so sorry." I stood up just as Esme put her arms around me, holding on tightly. She didn't say it was okay now, because I was back, and for that I was glad. That would be too much responsibility for me to handle. I didn't know if I could handle bringing together a family that I never even knew. I needed time to think.

Fortunately for me, Carlisle came down soon. He took Esme over from me, although she was mostly calm by then. The first pancake was mostly burned, so I took it off of the pan, added some oil and poured some more dough for another pancake, giving Esme some time to compose myself. I was the one to finish making that breakfast.

Esme excused herself for a while, leaving me just with Carlisle. We were both silent, until I asked about the pictures on the jet. He gladly launched into a story about the twins 13th birthday cruise ride.

Esme came back a few minutes later, looking refreshed and holding massive photo albums. She set them down on the island and offered to take over that pancake making, but I said I'd finish it. It gave me something to do.

After I was finished, I sat with Carlisle and Esme, feeling wary. Although theirs was a strangely convincing story, I still didn't know if I _wanted _to believe it.

The couple was holding hands and smiling it me, and at that moment I felt so at ease. In England, with Renée and Charlie, it was never like this. They never had the time, or the desire, to just sit together and smile. It took a huge tool on me and the way that I handled any relationships. But this couple; their love was so real, it was almost tangible. Rosalie and Jasper were lucky to have these as their parents. Me, on the other hand... I wasn't so sure.

"I have some pictures here that you might like to see. Of you and us, together, before... well, before and shortly after you turned one." Esme opened the album to the first page and turned it for me to see.

It was the blue and white pictures from an ultrasound scan. Several of them. All portrayed a little baby in different stages of development. There were dates written underneath the paper printouts, all the dates leading up to the day I was born. I took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. Esme turned to the next page.

There was a picture taken at a hospital, but this time it was a normal picture. There were the green bed sheets and the off-white walls. In the small bed sat Esme, looking tired but happy as she held a baby in her arms. Two children sat at either side of her, both looking like angels. Jasper had an awed look on his face as he looked to the small bundle, holding a dinosaur toy tightly at his side while Rosalie just smiled brilliantly at the camera. I guess that some people never really change. At least that hostile look wasn't present in her eyes.

_That look came to live in her eyes because of you! _A voice in the back of my head whispered theatrically.

Carlisle must have been the one to take the picture, because he wasn't in it. He was however, in the one beside it. In the other picture, he was holding the baby, with Jasper by his side, standing on tipi-toes as he tried to see as well. Esme and Rosalie were cuddling at the bed, all smiles as they looked at the baby. It was the third, last picture on that page that was too much. In that picture, the baby was visible up close. You could see hands holding the baby, but no other faces were visible.

"This is you, Bella, the day you were born." Esme whispered when I took my sweet time looking at that particular photo.

"I know," I whispered back. I only had one picture from when I was very little, and Renée said that they didn't have a camera at the time and the picture was taken with a good doctor's camera, in Morocco. The picture I had; it was the one that I was staring at.

"You've seen this before?" Carlisle asked, sounding intrigued with just a hint of anger.

"Yeah. Renée has a copy at..." I was going to say 'at home', but that no longer seemed to work. "In England." I said at least, looking up at Carlisle. He smiled at me warmly, as did Esme.

"Well, that solves our little mystery. We only made the album after you were taken." Unlike Esme, Carlisle seemed to have no trouble with speaking of what happened. "This photo had to be developed twice. We just lost the first copy."

"Oh yes, our little mystery. For years we wondered if we gave it to Renée or not. I do distinctively remember her asking for it." Esme agreed.

"Yes, but you always came to the conclusion that in the end you didn't."

The couple continued to argue lightly, both of them obviously very relaxed. That in turn made _me _relaxed in that strange, almost alien way. But at the same time I had the feeling of interrupting a very private moment.

And all the while, I had that feeling building up inside me, slowly but surely. These were really my parents. The people that were supposed to be there for me, supporting me all this time, while in reality I battled, me against the world, with the Swans. The Cullens would probably never let me spent so much time alone. They would come to the school production, the parent evenings and my dance shows. Screw that, they would probably never even _sign me up _for those hateful dance lessons in the first place. All the years lost.

It was too much. Tears pooled in my eyes and I blinked rapidly trying to defuse them. When they spilled over without my consent, I stood up from my seat, my chair scraping on the marble floor.

"I need to get out of here." I offered as an explanation to Esme and Carlisle, and then bolted. They didn't stop me.

I run to my room, locking the door behind me and throwing myself on the bed.

The Cullens were my parents. And how I was going to deal with that... that would probably become a problem. How would I settle? That was yet to be known.

**Okay, well... not much to say this chapter, except that it was quite difficult to write, especially towards the end. Ultimately, this is the part that really defines Bella's character. I rewrote this several times, so I hope I did okay. But tell me what you think!**

**Also, just quickly, the reviews. So... it hasn't been all that great... you know, I always thought that it was a kind of relationship between the writer and the reader on this website, that writer writes, the reader reviews the story. It's hard to write when I get no response for it, because I don't know if I'm doing it right or wrong. So, please, if you have the time to read this, spare that extra moment to review. It would sooo helpful. **

**Thanks, **

**AmeliaJasmine **


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Twilight, it belongs to Stephenie Meyer

_Knock, knock, knock_

The knocking on my bedroom door woke me up. The light from outside was weak due to the rain, but because of all the crying I've done my eyes were sensitive and even that was too much. I could only open my eyes slightly.

"Come in!" I called, before I remembered that the door was locked. "Okay, don't come in, wait!" Ugh, I needed to get out of bed, but I had a killer headache. Even speaking was an effort.

"Okay, I'll wait" Esme's voice sounded from the other side of the door. I crawled out of bed, still on all fours before I got up. Then I run quickly into the bathroom, whispering "Ouch, Ouch, Ouch" with each step. My head was pounding with the movement. Once in the bathroom, I turned on the tap and looking into the mirror. Oh my goodness, my eyes were so red and puffy. Dried tears were making my cheeks sticky with salt. No wonder I never cried, it was just too much effort afterwards.

"Bella?" Esme called, now slightly more worried as she tried the handle. It didn't give way. I quickly splashed my face with cold water, then turned it off and grabbed a face towel, before turning back to the door.

I took a deep breath and opened it.

"Yes?" I asked, as calmly as I could manage. Esme was standing before me, a huge suitcase by her side. I was confused. Were we moving out?

God but I hated that look in Esme's eyes. That look of absolute pity. I didn't need her pity, or sympathy, or anything else for that matter.

"Bella, are you alright?" Esme was, of course, completely oblivious to my hateful inner monologue. I nodded my head. She looked sceptic, but for her benefit, she said nothing. "I found some of Rose's clothes from a few years ago. They were supposed to go to charity, but this suitcase must have gotten lost...I guess that's a good thing, then, you can pick some of this to wear." Okay, great, now I was a charity case as well. Seriously, what did those people want from me?

"Bella, don't worry, all those clothes are in good state. I suppose I phrased it wrong." Esme bit her lip and I looked at it thoughtfully. _Nature or nurture? _I thought randomly. Everything now was pointing to nature. I always bit my lip as well, when I was nervous. No one else in the Swan household did that.

I sighed. "Its okay, Esme, thank you, but you shouldn't trouble yourself. I'm really okay with what I have now."

"Nonsense, Bella. Please it would make me happy, knowing that you have some clothes that actually fit you in those less than perfect circumstances. You've probably seen the news today... leading you out to shop now will be insanity. At least until a public statement is issued. For now, let's look through those clothes, okay?"

Never in my life did I feel so defeated and less like myself. I let Esme inside but I was dreading what we would find. Looking at Rosalie... My sister... I knew that she treated her clothes well. But how would she accept that I had her clothes now? Gosh, how would_ I_ accept it? Sitting in the same room with her, putting up with her teasing as she mocked me for wearing her clothes. Was this family really that bent on making my life hell? Apparently, yes. I started to wish for Renée. She would come up with an alternative plan to this, even if she never had time to follow through with it. It would just give me the inspiration I needed.

Esme led the suitcase into the bedroom and opened it. Folded inside were piles upon piles of clothes and shoes.

As expected, all the clothes were in perfect state. It was mostly unused, all washed and smelling fresh, even though Esme said that it was lying in the attic for four years. That made me realise that I didn't even know how old Rosalie was. When I asked, Esme smiled and replied that she was 18, just out of high school. Then I asked more about the Cullens. Like what month the twins were born, what date. Esme answered all those questions, smiling happily all the while.

It wasn't until we actually started looking through the clothes to see which ones I liked that I realised what Esme did. It was her way of letting me know the family; flaring my curiosity so that I would ask questions. Subtle and effective. I wondered what she did for a job.

Although Rosalie was more than two years younger than me when she gave up these clothes, the majority of it would fit me. Of course, I was still reluctant to take any of the items, should their previous owner recognize them. I looked out for items with tags attached, thinking it to be my safest bet. But it wasn't until I actually found one blouse with a label still attached that I realized _just _how good the clothes were. I was used to shopping at the higher end of High Street in England, but the top designers was something that was just out of my family's reach. Or at least it was something that I would reserve for proms, or weddings, or other big occasions. But this was insanity. Most items in here could easily be worth several hundred dollars. Each.

From then on, I paid more attention to the labels, picking only the ones that I knew wouldn't play on my conscience if I ripped it, or spilled cranberry juice on it. Esme noticed my patterns and offered clothes that I was comfortable with. We stifled through the pile in comfortable silence.

I was spared from trying it all on, for which I was glad. Esme helped me put all the items on hangers, then closed the doors to that insanity. I stood there, awkward as Esme straightened my bed covers, then sat down. I didn't know what to do.

"Tell me what books you like, Bella, I'll order them for you. Or if you'd like, there's a library on the top floor, you can look through those books. You're welcome to take anything you want."

I nodded my head, fiddling with my hands.

"Also, if you give me your measurements, I could ask someone to do the shopping for you. You know, put some clothes to you name. It will take a few days, but it doesn't look like we're moving away from Forks anytime soon, so we have time."

"Okay, thank you." Silence again.

"Anything else you might ne-"

"Thank you, Esme, I really appreciate it. I don't need anything at the moment." I was suddenly lost, so lost. I missed my sisters. "Esme... What happened to my family in England? The Swans, I mean."

"To be perfectly honest, I don't know. Carlisle was to take care of it. He will most definitely press charges..."

"Please don't"

"Oh, Honey, we have to. We lost you for too many years to let it go and just forgive them. We can't have that happening to anyone else."

"But Esme, they're my family! I'm sorry, but I loved them all for the last fifteen years. They were the only parent's I knew. And they have small children... what will happen to the girls? They don't deserve to lose their sister and their parents all at the same time."

"Oh, Bella, please." Esme pleaded, looking at the tears that, once again, streamed down my cheeks. She opened her arms to hug me, but I didn't accept the offer.

"Esme, they are m family! Don't... just don't."

"Bella-"

"Don't do to Arianna and Chloe what they did to me! Don't deprive the children of their parents! They didn't do anything to deserve it." I screamed.

"Bella, Bella," Esme walked to me and put her hands on my face, holding me in place. "Listen, what they did wasn't right. Normal people don't do that. If not for anything else, we need to do it for the girls. People with mental instability... you really don't know what they might do. Next thing you know, Renée might attack little Chloe. Do you want to take the risk?"

I paled at the thought, but argued all the same.

"It's not true. They would never hurt anyone."

"They did before."

"Wha-what do you mean?"

"Oh, Honey, the day they took you..."

*FLASHBACK*

_It was a very tiring day. Esme was just doing the winter cleaning, and apart from directing all the staff to do their work, she had to do her fair share, too. Isabella, who had a little less than 15 months, was starting to act like a two year old, demanding constant attention. The fact that she was a late developer who only just learned to walk wasn't helping matters either. She kept bumping her head, and as a result crying even more. Of course, Jazz and Rosie winding each other up wasn't working to help anyone either. How did other mothers do it? Just one day she let Renée off the baby sitting, to prove to her friends that she could do it herself and she was really struggling. Several times already she considered calling the nanny. Each time her ego stopped her. _

_And soon there will be another addition to the family, Esme mused. She always wanted to adopt a baby, and now she and Carlisle were actually considering it. After Isabella's birth was so full of complications, they just didn't wan to risk it again. So instead they wanted to adopt. The lucky guy hadn't been chosen yet; they knew they wanted a boy, to even things out. But now wasn't the time to think about it. Now was the time to think about..._

"_Okay, Rosie, we finished in the nursery. Why don't you stay here with Isabella while I clean your room? That would be sooo much help." Her little daughter just decided to be mommy's little girl and help with the cleaning. Esme admired the enthusiasm but really, all Rosie did was getting in the way. _

"_Okay, momma. Izzy, come with Rosie! I'll play with you." As Esme departed, she heard the little baby's giggle. That should keep the two of them busy long enough. _

_Goodness, the amount of dust on the top of the bookcase! It was a miracle that none of them fell ill because of it. Wasn't there all that MOs in there? She would have to ask Carlisle._

_Esme was done with all the furniture before she noticed that it was strangely quiet in the nursery. Granted, someone should be crying by now, whether it was Izzy because of something Rosie did or the other way around. _

_She was just leaving the room, when she bumped right into Rosie around the corner. She laughed. "Hey Darling, where you running off to?" _

_Rosie grabbed Esme's legs briefly to steady herself, then she was on her way again, shouting "To get Jazzy!" as she run down the stairs. _

_Esme was still laughing. "And you're just leaving Izzy by herself?" Really, she should have predicted it. It was a good thing she made it there so quickly, before Isabella swallowed something, or hurt herself. _

_Rosie stopped on the last step, looking up at her mom with the 'duh' expression on her face. _

"_Course not, mommy, nanny's with Izzy. She told me to get Jasper."_

_Renée was here? It was her day off. Esme walked into the nursery, and sure enough, Renée was there, coaxing Isabella to come to her. Once she was aware of Esme's presence, she tensed briefly before taking something out of her pocket. _

"_Isabella, come here." Renée sweet-talked to the little toddler who was just getting to her feet, eager to get a hug from her nanny. All the while, the woman was staring at Esme, making sure she wasn't a threat._

"_Izzy, no, come here darling." Esme was slightly worried. There was a crazed look in Renée's eyes that she had never seen before. She wasn't supposed to be here. It was her day off. What was she doing? Esme had a strong feeling that she was up to no good. And that thing she now held in her hand; Esme couldn't be sure, but it looked like a gun!_

_Both women talked to the little baby girl, but she was already making her way to her nanny. Esme panicked, taking a step to intercept her daughter. _

"_Esme," Renée's voice sounded dangerous. "Put her down. Put her down, or give her to me." She pointed the thing in her hand at Esme. On closer inspection, it wasn't a gun, it was a taser. _

_Even with the threat, Esme held onto her daughter who was innocently oblivious to what was happening. "Esme, give Bella to me now and nothing will happen to you. Now! Put her down! I don't want to hurt anyone. Just put her down." _

"_Like hell!" It was hard to say which woman was angrier. "If you think for even a second that I will give my daughter over to you, then you're crazy! Mad! You're all those things anyway. Don't-don't come any closer! I will call for help!" Renée was most definitely mad. She was holding the taser gun up, pointing it at Esme as she slowly approached. _

_This clearly wasn't working. Esme put little Isabella down behind her, out of Renée's reach. Then she put her hands up in surrender._

"_Renée, darling, stop. Think what you're doing. It isn't right, is it? Please put that down. Come on, lower your hand, put it down." But Renée just stood there, completely unmoved. She sneered. _

"_Don't talk to me like to a child, because I'm not. I'm an adult and I'm fully aware of my actions. Now, step out of my way, and we'll part on good terms. Just give me the child and let me leave." Fear twisted in the pit of Esme's stomach. Renée wanted to take the child. She couldn't let that happen. _

"_I'm sorry, Renée, I can't do that. Put the gun down." _

_To make the matters worse, Rose just run into the room, Jasper right on her heels. They were laughing until they saw the confrontation. Too small to understand what was happening but big enough to know that something was wrong. _

_Esme saw her chance. _

"_Jasper, Rosie" She kept her eyes on Renée as the woman reassessed her situation. The calculating look that kept zoning onto the twins wasn't a good sign. "I want you to take Isabella, and leave. Run downstairs and find Charlie. He'll look after you, okay?" _

"_Okay, momma." They said simultaneously, for once in agreement with each other, then moved to get Izzy. _

_At the mention of Charlie, Renée's eyes stopped moving and returned to Esme. She said nothing as the twins took hold of Isabella's chubby little hands and led her out. Renée stayed in her place. _

_Once the kids were safely away, their footsteps heard on the stairs, Renée put her gun down. _

"_Okay, Esme, I understand. I'll go now, okay?" she moved towards the door but Esme quickly stood in her sudden change of heart in the woman was... worrying, suspicious. It was better to keep her here longer, just in case. _

"_Renée, no, I think you need help. Wait for someone to come up here, okay? Then we'll call Carlisle, he can check up on you and the-"_

"_Esme, let me go." There was a threat in Renée's voice again, but it was a threat that Esme failed to recognize. She shook her head. _

"_Esme, you're going to regret this." Still Esme stood her ground, while her hand was patting her pockets, looking of her phone so that she could call someone to help. The house was big, and most of the staff was in the other end of the building. No one would hear her call out. _

"_Esme, you're leaving me no choice!" With that, Renée launched at Esme, the taser in her hand once again. She zapped Esme once, quickly, and then gently laid the woman on the floor. What she and Charlie were doing might have been unethical, but that didn't mean that Renée was cruel. Everything would be back to normal in a few days, except that she and Charlie would be rich, rich, rich…_

_She run down the stairs quickly, before Esme could come back to her senses and stop her. She could hear the bubble of childish voices of Rosalie and Jasper as they exclaimed at something. This really had worked out better than was planned; If it was Renée running outside with the baby, she would look suspicious. With her siblings, Bella would look right at home. By now, Charlie must have left, and soon Renée would, too. She could go through the front gates, no one would suspect her yet. And then she was gone, just as planned, not even realizing what mess she was leaving behind…_

*END OF FLASHBACK*

I just stared at the woman before me, all the fight disappearing right out of me. The woman who looked so fragile but, in reality she was so strong.

"Esme, I'm so sorry, I had no idea." I wasn't just sympathizing with her; I actually felt responsible. As ridiculous as it sounded, it felt fitting. After all, if it wasn't for me, none of that would have happened.

"No matter darling, we have you back now." Esme smiled sadly and gave me a one-armed hug.

But something was still missing…

"Esme. But, you said that you wanted to adopt. In the end, you-you didn't, did you?"

She shook her head. "We didn't want anyone to think that we replaced you. Besides, it was only in the early stages of adoption. We weren't even decided on anyone specific. No one got hurt in this."

_Except for you _I wanted to say, but there really was no need to rub it in.

"You didn't have anyone specific… but did you already have someone in mind?"

"Not that time, Honey. A few years later, we did see someone, a sweet little boy." Funny, how I sort of felt betrayed right then. It was totally irrational; I didn't even want to call Esme 'mum'. But still, it hurt that she considered getting someone instead of me.

"Oh, Honey, no need for that." Esme said, patting my cheek. I guessed that my emotions must have been pretty obvious. "In the end, we didn't take him. That was at the time we found out that you moved on, to England. The search resumed, and already we were struggling with giving Rose and Jasper enough attention. If we took Edward into our home, he would miss a chance to have a fulfilled family. It wouldn't be fair on him."

"Wonderful," I mumbled under my breath, the guilt returning in full force. "So I deprived another kid of a home as well. Great. Another thing to add to the 'it's your fault' pile."

"Bella, it isn't like that. I'm telling you this because you're part of this family and you deserve to know. But don't feel guilty about it. You bear no responsibility These things were out of your control. And soon after, Edward went to a good home as well, a home better that ours has been at the time. He and Jasper still keep in touch."

"Okay." Esme's words didn't help any, they rather fueled my guilt. Their home wasn't adequate—it wasn't adequate because of _me. _God, now I was in real need of a therapist.

I didn't want to be pushy, but this really was something that I needed to think about. Especially since the nightmares were returning; if it wasn't for Esme waking me up earlier, the nightmare would come to an end, same as always.

"Esme, do you think I could contact my therapist?"

It wasn't until supper that I saw the whole family together again. By then, I was feeling much calmer. A few words have been exchanged with my therapist, mostly as a fare-well. Esme admitted me to the family's therapist, the one who worked with Rosalie and Jasper before. I only talked to Claire to assure her that I was in good hands. I also asked her to pass on the best wishes for Arianna and Chloe; Claire would work with them closely from now on, to help them get… get through my disappearance. Somehow, I managed not to cry. Even on the phone Claire told me to let it out, but there were no more tears left. I was emotionally drained.

I helped Esme cook, and as always, I managed to spill gravy on my shirt. Esme then somehow convinced me to put on some of the newly acquired clothes. I was _very _opposed to the idea, but Esme was a difficult person to refuse. I just prayed that Rosalie wouldn't notice.

And my luck seemed to be holding. Carlisle, Rosalie and Jasper filed into the dining room just as Esme and I were carrying in the dishes. Jasper stole a piece of meat from my plate, burning his fingers, while Carlisle gave me a kiss on the cheek. Rosalie just greeted me with "Oh god, you're still here." All in all, it wasn't bad.

Supper seemed to be a quiet event in the Cullen household. With humor, I noticed that Jasper was eating much more sophisticatedly now that he was in the company of his parents. I wanted to call him out on it, but the dining table was huge, and only five spaces were taken. So we each sat several feet away from each other and I could get his attention without attracting the whole family's attention too.

Carlisle and Jasper exchanged a few words about the baseball practice, Esme decided to go to Settle for a day, make sure everything was okay. She also promised to bring someone called 'Rollo' with her. Everyone was excited at that, although I had no idea who Rollo was.

It wasn't until the end of the meal that the small talk ended. Rosalie casually informed her parents that she made plans to visit someone called Royce.

"No way,"

"Absolutely not."

Even Jasper looked at her unhappily.

Rosalie, on the other hand, looked fuming.

"Look, this is my life, and you get no say in this either way. I'm an adult, I get to make my own choices. I have, _very nicely _informed you of what I plan to do tomorrow, and there's nothing you can do to stop me."

Esme stood from her seat, Carlisle raising half a second later. He was the one who spoke first.

"Now you listen to me, young lady. As long as you live in this house, you follow our rules. See anyone you want, but not Royce. That boy is no good for you."

"You have no idea of what is and isn't good for me! You don't even know me!"

"We know you well enough to know what happened last time," Esme looked fierce.

I was very curious about all of their strong reactions, but this didn't seem like the time to ask.

"That was just a misunderst-"

"_That_ was violence. I promised that if he won't leave you alone, I'll make sure there's a restraint order on him. Do you want me to do that now?" I could see what Tom meant before, when he said that my father had a way of getting what he wanted just with his expression. If looks could kill…

"You can't do that! Not without my consent!"

"Oh, we can do it alright, and we will. Either you meet him here at this house or not at all. Which one is it?"

"Neither. I'll see him in Seattle."

"Then I'm going to make a police statement right now." Carlisle walked away from the table. Esme looked torn.

"Rosalie,"

"Now, mom, this is my life. You need to respect that."

Esme still looked very undecided and she bit her lip as she looked from Rosalie, to Jasper, to me, then back again.

"Okay, but be careful. I'll talk to your father, okay?" With that, Esme left. Silence fell on the table, and I was suddenly feeling very, very awkward…

But the arguing wasn't over yet. Now it was Jasper's turn.

"Seriously, Rose, now you've really done it."

"Jazzy, don't be like that. You know how they get; they need to know that I have my own life and there is nothing they can do about it." Now Rosalie was very calm, almost soothing, acting like a completely different person. But not quite—that smirk was still very much the same as before.

"That part I understand, but do you really need to go about it so drastically."

"Jasper, please, just trust me on this. Everything will be fine."

"You're not planning on seeing Royce for reals though, right?"

"No, not tomorrow at least." Rosalie stood from her chair then, quickly pecking Jasper on the cheek before sliding her hand over my shoulder. Or rather, the fabric of shirt I was wearing.

"Nice clothes." She commented sounding triumphant when I moved away from her touch. Then she threw her hair over her shoulder, and left.

**A/N: Okay, very late, and completely out of schedule, but it's a long chapter! I hoped you liked. **

**So, an insight of the things that happened before. The flashback from Bella's kidnapping had actually helped the story a little, because we learned that Edward was adopted as well… that plays nicely into the story. All will be clear later on... **

**Hmm, Rosalie… she's a tough nut to crack. What do you think if her? And what happened with Royce? Again, all unravels later on…**

**Anyways, please, please leave a comment of what you think. All thoughts are very much appreciated.**

**Take care until I see you next.**

**Ami-J **


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Twilight, it belongs to Stephenie Meyer

Jasper stared after Rosalie with a sad expression. I was still confused.

"Um, Jasper," my voice was quiet, seemingly even quieter after the loud voices used just a minute ago.

"Yeah?" his voice was normal volume, giving me courage.

"What just happened?" Damn, I didn't want to be pushy, but I really wanted to know.

"You really want to know?"

Stupid question. I just gave him a look.

"Okay, okay I get it." Jasper lifted his hands in surrounded, at the same time muttering "She's too freaking similar to Rose for her own good." Then out louder. "So, you know, our parents are pretty damn protective over Rose. I mean, not just her, me too, but Rose has more tendencies to get into trouble. So I guess she always grabs the wrong end of the stick.

"Our parents..." Jasper run his hands through his hair, looking for words. "Man, I don't know how to say this without making you feel guilty."

"Just spit it out." I was a little annoyed. No matter what he said I already had a huge pile of guilt to work through. He really couldn't expect that much of a strong reaction.

"Okay. So, you know, before. I guess that they already experienced what it's like to lose a child. They just didn't want that to happen again, for the situation to get any worse. So mom and dad—well, it was mostly dad—he really objected to us having that many friends. At first, when we were little, it was fine. You know, I guess they trusted the little kids. But as we got older, Rose got more adventurous. By the time she was thirteen, she started bringing all those boyfriends round. It was never serious, but it made dad mad, like, really mad.

"Of course, Rose being a teenager and all, she rebelled. She started parading all those people right under dad's nose, just to show him that she could. And it wasn't just her boyfriends then. It was just generally people that she shouldn't have been spending time with. You know, the kids who smoked, got wasted, I don't know. But the thing is, she never got sucked into those groups. She was always in control.

"After a while, dad must have realised that. Or maybe it was mom who made the observation, I don't know... anyways, so dad loosened up a little. Everything was fine again.

"And then I started to bring my friends round as well, and sometimes girlfriends as well, and things became a little unfair. Rose still had all those rules, like no boys in her bedroom, no unsupervised sleepovers, all that. Rules that applied to her, but didn't apply to me. So then another phase of rebellion was bought around. She tried to break the rules, but it really wasn't that easy. Some rules she just couldn't break. I mean, dad made her really mad. Whenever he was home, and Rose sneaked someone into her room—just for the sake of it, it wasn't like she was up to anything—dad would barge in on them, embarrass Rose, throw whoever she was with, out. So Rose had to find a new weapon. And she did.

"Royce was two years older than her, seventeen when she first brought him round. At first, it was the same as it was with all the rest of them, so no one really took notice. But then, after a while, Rose just seemed to lose control... she started staying out late, clubbing, smoking. And the worst of it was, she didn't do it to annoy dad anymore; she did it because she liked it. It scared the sweet life out of us all.

"Parents didn't know what to do, so they did the stupid thing. They just let it be. After all the discipline, it gave Rose too much liberty. But in their defence, they really didn't know what to do anymore. It got pretty serious, and we really didn't want to make it any worse. Rose was fine, in a way; it's not like she ever lost touch with reality, she still talked to me, and her friends. She just changed, evolved. So we let it be.

"Everything was fine, until a few weeks ago. Mom, who was pretty much fine with everything before, found Royce and Rose in the garden, her pressed against the wall and supposedly fighting Royce as he tried to kiss her. _Of course, _it was nothing serious, but that isn't the way that parents see it. Mom made a scene about it, unceremoniously threw Royce out and grounded Rose. And then hell broke loose. The aftermath—well, you've experienced it just now. Rose claims that she just wants them to see reason, but I think she just want to get back at them."

"You seem to have a lot of insight about this." For a guy his age, he must have paid a lot of attention to get this amount of detail. Or maybe it was just second-guessing?

"Yeah, well, Rose and I are pretty close, as I said. She tells me these things."

"Okay, thanks for telling me, I guess. I'm just so out of it, it's absurd."

Jasper laughed. "Be glad you don't have all those stories. It's nothing but trouble."

Jasper really was a good guy, for his age. He was just out of school, and yet here he was, living with his parents and turning in this early in the night. Guys my age wouldn't be like that. And it couldn't be that he didn't have the money to have fun either; if there was one thing that I learned, it was that Cullens had money. A _lot _of it.

"Well, Bella, I don't know if my mother told you about this, but Sundays evening we spend together, watching TV, playing board games and such. You in?"

"It's wavy, and ships sail on it, and there's—ugh, yellow stuff surrounding it." I made a wave-flow-motion with my hand and then a shimmering gesture with the tops of my fingers, attempting to describe the sea without using the words sun, sea, sand or water. Damn if it wasn't proving to be impossible. And completely idiotic.

Carlisle, Esme, Jasper and I were sitting on the living room floor, playing a board game. Well, this was the Cullen's _other_ living room—this one held only a big sectional sofa in a shape of a semi-circle, a small table where the remotes were placed and an absolutely huge TV, hanging on a wall above a fire place. Oh, and there was a big flower pot in the corner, a carpet on the floor and a few bean-bags stuffed behind the couches. Nothing else. To some extent, I was surprised. Everything was colour matched, but there were no pictures, no decorations. It didn't really fit in with the rest of the Cullen holiday home. Then again, it made sense. This was a room where you could breathe easily, without having to worry about knocking down something worth millions. I wasn't complaining.

We were playing a game called tongue-tied and I was just an unwilling participant here. I came here in the hope of watching the whole thing from sidelines, maybe laughing occasionally with the family. But somehow, I got sucked in with Esme's pleading face. Why did she have to look at me like that? It wasn't fair on me. What made it worse was that I was so unaccustomed with the whole quality-family-time-thing and I was completely out of my element. So despite feeling very uncomfortable in joining, I succumbed to their game. And now I felt very sorry for myself.

But at the same time, I felt even more sorry for Esme. She looked at Jasper and me with so much... so much hope in their eyes, as though she somehow hoped that one hour spent together in a week would somehow make the family work. Little did she know that neither Jasper nor I actually enjoyed it. We were just placating both of the grownups. Rosalie was the only reasonable one here, and that was only because she proved to be heartless. When the grownups tried to persuade her to play as well, she only said that she wouldn't want to ruin our bonding time. So she was sitting on the couch, looking down on all of us and snickering at me continuously. It was making me feel even more uncomfortable.

Now, as Esme and Carlisle tried to guess what I was trying to describe, Jasper sent me an apologetic look. I returned it with a sad smile. Only a quarter of an hour left to go. Then we would order pizza and sit in front of the TV for the rest of the night.

But really, who were the Cullens' kidding? If they set a time frame to the game, it must be because the kids asked how long left all too many times. Shame they couldn't make that time period shorter.

When I looked at the clock, Rosalie smirked at me again.

"Eager to escape, Bella?" she asked loudly for everyone to hear and I hated her right there and then. There was nothing I could say to reply. If I said that no, that I was enjoying myself, my sentence here would surely be extended. On the other hand, if I said yes... well, I wouldn't be able to look into Esme's eyes after that. So I said nothing, merely looking down.

The already tense and fabricated family atmosphere seemed to dissolve completely, leaving me feeling unprotected and completely at loss as to how to proceed. Score one for Rosalie with this comment, I guess. I would get my own back, as soon as I knew my ground.

For now, it was Carlisle who came to my rescue. Or maybe he was trying to comfort Esme. I didn't know.

"Should we cut this short? I'm actually quite hungry, how about we order the pizza now. Or would you rather have Chinese?" He got up and reached for his phone without waiting for a reply, and there was no one to reply anyway. Jasper and I were sitting there, looking guilty while Rosalie paged through her magazine, seemingly unaffected. I felt horrible. Too much heartbreak has already been suffered by this family. And now, by that small gesture of mine, I have ruined the intended bonding time too. Not without some very-much-not-appreciated help, but the fault was still partially mine.

I didn't feel this much out of place for a very long time now. Maybe I never felt like this.

Once the pizza was ordered, the family regrouped. Jasper sat next to Rosalie and looked over her shoulder to read the article she was reading, purposefully blowing in her ear and making her swat him on the back of his head and turning into an uncomfortable position to avoid any more of his teasing. The two of them started to bicker quietly as I sat at one corner of the three sided sofa, Carlisle taking his place facing me. After Esme put some movie on, she hesitated, looking from me to Carlisle. Undecided where to sit.

I felt lonely as I gestured for her to take a place next to her husband, badly needing some form of reassurance but unwilling to force Esme to do anything she didn't want to do. And anyways, she wouldn't have any comfort to offer me. I didn't think of her as my mother. Hell, I didn't think of anyone as a mother figure, at the moment. And that was the reason of my sadness. Esme smiled at me, then settled next to Carlisle who immediately put his arm around her. She leaned into him. I drew a pillow to me, hugging that instead as some sloppy old fashioned musical started playing.

I wasn't really paying attention to the movie. I was focused on the twins again, watching as they socialised through their phones. I badly wanted to talk to my friends as well but I wasn't allowed the luxury. The Cullens had yet to assign a phone to me, if they were indeed planning on it. My own phone was on the desk, in my room, probably gaining a huge bill just for the internet connection that was constantly on. Not that it would cause any trouble for Charlie; he had more than enough money.

It was about ten minutes into the movie when I recognised a song that was playing. It was from 'Singing in the rain,' Arianna's all time favourite movie. What she saw in it I didn't know. With a pang, I realised that I never really took the trouble to find out things like that about her. I clutched the pillow closer to my chest, fighting tears now. I was tired, and I wanted to be alone. But I didn't want to interrupt the movie, so I stay put. Sometime later the pizza arrived, and the family started to eat. Well, except for Rosalie, of course, because she only ate fruit in the evening. Same as me, and that little similarity made me uneasy. I didn't touch the pizza either. I just wasn't hungry.

Was this what home sickness felt like? How could I feel home sickness when, really, I was home? When I was away from people who lied to me my whole life, no less. But still, I felt it. Strongly.

The sounds from the movie, the dimmed lights and my own despair slowly eventually lulled me to sleep.

When I woke up again, it was completely dark. The TV was no longer on and as my eyes accustomed to the darkness, I could see that no one else was here with me. A blanket was draped lightly over me, only covering my left side as the rest of it was hanging down to the floor. All the signs of the pizza and the popcorn were gone.

Huh, strange. Back in England, I wouldn't be left to sleep in a family room. Renée or Charlie would carry me to my bed, or Arianna would wake me to tell me to move. But here, there were apparently no such restrictions. I didn't remember anyone trying to wake me, and obviously I wasn't carried out either. If this was done out of convenience or respect for my personal space, I didn't know. I mean, everyone seemed to be reluctant to invade my intimacy, even Esme, although several times I saw her look like she wanted to touch me, just to make sure I was really there.

Still, I wasn't at ease. I folded the blanket, immediately getting goose bumps on my arms from the chilly temperature. I rubbed my arms as I moved upstairs. The layout of the house was quite familiar now, and I walked quietly, without turning on the lights.

Upstairs, on the way to my room, I heard someone talking. I stopped briefly, looking around, and sure enough there was the tell-tale stripe of light underneath one of the doors. Locating the source of the sound made it much easier for me to decipher the conversation, quickly realising that it was one sided. Someone was talking on the phone. It was Rosalie.

"No, don't... Listen, I told you already... No, that wouldn't work even if I wanted you to come—let me finish!—my parents are on high alert... that's just none of your business...No! That's just none of your business, I said...seriously, no. I don't even want to have this conversation..." Uh-oh, her footsteps were getting closer to the door. I quickly moved away, in the direction of my bedroom. It was only two doors away.

Once safely locked away, I thought back to the conversation. Rosalie didn't seem as collected then as she did on all the other occasions I saw her. There was a hint of despair in her voice. And who was she talking to? Maybe the Royce that Jasper mentioned? I hoped that, if it was him, Rosalie would stand her ground whatever they were arguing about. I may not have liked her, but getting controlled by someone else just wasn't right.

I wasn't tired. I didn't know what time I fell asleep, so I didn't know how long I slept. But it was long enough. I wanted to take a shower, since the last time I washed was the previous morning. But I didn't want to wake anyone up, and moreover I didn't want to alter Rosalie to the fact that I was awake.

Gosh, what was happening to me? Since when was I scared of anyone, especially of a bully? Never. But there was something quite sinister about the way Rosalie looked at me. Not just me, though. There was similar emotion in her eyes when she looked at Carlisle. What wrongdoing either of us had committed, I didn't know. And I wouldn't be asking her about it either.

I decided to just lie on the bed and wait for sleep to come over me. I took my phone with me, turning on the bedside lamp and looking through my messages. As expected, there were quite a few of them. I read through the messages sent by Mackenzie first.

The first were worried messages, sent on the evening that I was taken. Started innocent enough.

_Where are you? Ollie's worried, so hurry up._

_Damn it B, better hurry up. He'll never forgive you. _

_I don't know where you are, but Ollie's livid. I'm with him now. You have a lot to answer for..._

Then there were a few more messages sent the morning after, very worried messages that made my stomach clench just reading them, even though I knew exactly what happened.

_Bella, what the hell? Where are you? We're all looking for you. Your parents are worried._

_Bella, seriously, call one of us soon, or we're calling the police. You have... oh, half an hour. _

_We called the police, they're looking for you. Hang on, we'll find you soon. _

There were many more of those messages, from Mackenzie as well as everybody else. Oh, my poor friends, worrying for that. At least they knew that I was safe now; the last message read:

_Damn girl, all that worrying I did for you, and you just leave for America without me? screw you! _

_._

_._

_._

_And call me soon, please...?_

Yeah, that was Mackenzie all the way. I debated on whether I should call or not, then decided that it wasn't half a bad idea. The phone rang 5 times, and then Mackenzie said "Hello?"

I was so glad to hear her voice, I didn't even know where to start.

"Oh my days, hi! Sorry I didn't ca—"

I was cut off by the words: "Ah! Looser! Please leave a message."

Damn Mackenzie and her stupid voicemail. It was a joke between our group of friends, to see who would fall for it and talk animatedly to the voice machine. I obviously just did.

But I had my hopes up so much, the hope of finally talking to someone outside of the immediate circle around me. Apparently, I shouldn't have been so hopeful. Now there would be tears for pay for it.

Unwilling to let myself cry just yet, I decided to go downstairs and heat up some milk, to get me to sleep easier. I could do that, right? This was supposed to be my house, too, after all...

I walked downstairs and into the kitchen, turning on all the lights as I went a long and not giving any attention to my surroundings. In no way was I in a good mood, and down here, where no one could hear me, I was determined to act out on it.

So as I was searching for a mug and a pot to heat the milk, I slammed every draw I could. I wasn't that far off of muttering to myself either. All the emotions that I have been more or less repressing in the last few days, since my... well, kidnap, for lack of better word, were suddenly making reappearance. In the dead of the night. Probably waking everyone up. Good.

Fully on in my destructive mode, I failed to hear the two sets of feet approach until they were quite close behind me.

"Ah, Bella, so nice to see you. Is there anything I can help you with at this fine hour?"

I turned so quickly it too my brain a second to refocus the image. In front of me stood Carlisle, along with Tom... well, Jenks, according to Jasper. My anger was forgotten.

Jenks cracked a smile while Carlisle downright laughed at me reaction.

"Serves you right," he said, smiling good-heartedly and wafting his index finger in my direction, in a mock gesture of reproach. "Gave me quite a scare, banging around the kitchen at such an ungodly hour."

I cleared my throat before speaking.

"Sorry. Didn't realise anyone was awake. I couldn't sleep."

"Yes, well, I'm quite the night creature as well. Gives me some time to settle the business I haven't time for during the day." He waved his hand in Jenks' direction. "Bella, I believe you've met Jenks."

I nodded my head at him, a gesture which he returned coolly but not altogether unpleasantly.

"Anyway, Jenks was just leaving when we heard the commotion. Jenks, all l'be settled by tomorrow?"

"Yes sir."

"Good good. I'll catch up with you tomorrow then." And with that the man that, in my eyes, had started all of this, left the house.

"So, Bella." Carlisle's attention once more returned to me. "What exactly are you doing?"

"Um, just getting some milk. Then I think I'll be off, to get some sleep."

"How about you just sit here and let me heat the milk for you? It was quite some time since I didn't that sort of thing for my children."

It was an offer that I couldn't refuse.

I sat at the counter while Carlisle moved expertly around the kitchen, easily finding everything that he needed. We mostly sat in silence which was only broken by Carlisle asking how warm I wanted the milk and if I added anything to it. The house was very quiet, the only lighted room being the kitchen. It was eerie, but not altogether unpleasant with the smell of milk and cinnamon in the air and Carlisle's quiet humming to fill the silence. For a time, however brief, I was at peace.

Carlisle stayed with me as I drunk the milk, watching in silence. Once I was finished he spoke.

"Jenks here was just talking to me about the publicity of the current situation. We, the Cullens, haven't exactly the lowest profile, and although the whole situation with you coming back got out much earlier than anyone anticipated, it wasn't something that we could have altogether avoided.

"So a public statement will be issued as soon as possible, tomorrow, to settle things a little. It isn't ideal, and it means that we'll have to wait the situating out here, in Forks, but it seems like the best course of action, as of now. Are you okay with all of this?"

Huh, why would he ask me? It wasn't like what I said could actually change anything... but he was waiting for an answer, so I nodded my head.

"Sure, that's fine with me."

Carlisle smiled that smile again, the one that showed clearly the wrinkles around his eyes, but made him look so much more appropriate for the father figure that he was currently portraying.

"That's great. As soon as things settle down a little, we can move back to our home."

"Okay."

Neither of us said anything, so after a minute I decided to retire, a little more ready to sleep now. Carlisle agreed readily, after saying that he'll stay downstairs a little longer and asking me to turn off the lights after myself.

I followed his instructions, until I encountered a slight problem in the hallway.

There were two separate light bulbs there; one over the ground floor hallway while the other was directly above the staircase. There was a light switch at the top of the first floor landing, but it only turned off the light over the staircase. I would have to walk several feet in the darkness to get to the stairs.

There certainly was a problem. I was scared of the dark.

Deliberating for a second, I finally decided to just make a run for it. I tuned off the light downstairs then run to the staircase, taking two steps at the time, scared that something might be chasing me, feeling something pushing on my back...

Unfortunately, I misjudged the steepness of the steps and with a loud bang, I fell.

"Ouch." I moaned, momentarily left breathless, my rib cage hurting. all thought's of monsters hiding in the darkness were readily forgotten. Damn me and my clumsiness. No one seemed to wake up, but Carlisle came running.

"Bella, are you okay?" He asked, concerned.

Oh God, this was mortifying.

"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks." I started to pick myself off of the steps, and making my way up.

"Bella,"

"Yeah?" I didn't turn to look at him, my cheeks heated in embarrassment.

"Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm fine. This happens all the time."

"How did this happen this time?"

Oh, great here it was.

"Ugh..."

"Bella, are you scared of the dark?"

Of my goodness, he was spot on. How did he know?

"Ugh..."

"Because it's totally fine if you are. Jasper and Rose were too, at one point or another."

Yeah, I'd bet. When they were like, five or something.

"No, I'm not scared of the dark. Thanks anyway." And at that moment, I really wasn't scared. I was embarrassed that I ever was scared of the dark.

"Okay. Goodnight, Bella." There was suppressed laughter in Carlisle's voice, but I didn't turn to him before and I wasn't about to turn now.

"Goodnight." I replied simply. I didn't have a label for Carlisle; on one hand, I didn't want to call him 'dad', but somehow, calling him by his given name didn't sound right, wither.

I made the rest of the way to my room in darkness, stupidly, just to prove my point. After that, I fell onto my bed, waited for my cheeks to cool off, and then I fell into a deep sleep that was in no way expected.

**Thank you for all those who recently started to follow this story, as well as those who were here from the beginning I'm very glad that you like this:D**

**But please, please review! I was quite sad to see that only one comment was left for the last chapter :( ****Maybe there could be a few more for this one...? **

**I'm going abroad next week, so no update then, and then it's the exam term and I'll be busy, busy, busy! Even so, I'll try to write a new chapter before Christmas.**

**So please, please review, and I guess I'l see you some time. Take care until then **

**Ami-J **


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